Cricket's inclusion in LA28 Olympics largely due to 2024 T20 World Cup and MLC season, says LA28 Sports Director

Cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was largely determined by the US and West Indies sharing hosting of the next T20 World Cup and the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) season, according to Niccolo Campriani, LA28 Sports Director, who made the announcement on Monday.

After a lengthy 123-year absence from the Olympic Games since its debut in 1900, men's and women's T20I cricket has made a comeback. Additionally, lacrosse (sixes), baseball/softball, flag football, and squash have been authorized as new sports for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

On Monday, on the second day of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) 141st Session, votes in favor of these games were held here.

"The Olympic movement is in for a radical makeover. Italian shooter Campriani, a past Olympic champion, told the media that it was a win-win situation for LA 28, the IOC, and the cricket community.

"The idea was to create a perfect combination of American sport to be showcased to the world, but also introducing global sports that are not as developed in the US market," he explained.

"With the T20 World Cup scheduled for 2024 and Major League Cricket beginning this year, the stars have aligned." After the T20 World Cup, it will be interesting to watch what venues become available, according to Campriani.

The plan is not to create new venues for the Olympic Games, thus according to Campriani, the locations for the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 4, could be used for the LA Games.

"We're still determined not to construct a brand-new, long-term Games stadium. Our goal is to capitalize on that heritage. Last year, I had the good fortune to conduct my observation at the CWG. We're very happy about it. This decision relates specifically to LA 28, but Brisbane 2032 is quickly approaching," stated Campriani, expressing optimism for the inclusion of cricket in the 2032 Summer Olympics.

According to Campriani, cricket's inclusion in the games was greatly aided by its inclusion in the women's competition.

"What we did is for every sport, we had one formal submission from the international federation and one observation — which for cricket was at the CWG," he stated.

"The CWG's observation was just astounding. Everyone adored it. We get a peek of what cricket may be like in the Los Angeles setting. That insight was really important because we had no intention of flying for an IPL game. Thus, it is true that women's cricket was important. It was Campriani's aim that young people who might be observing cricket for the first time would become interested in the game.

"We must remember that the international federations are our main stakeholders whenever we discuss this collaboration. However, these professional leagues offer a special venue for interacting with a whole new athlete community," he stated.

For an athlete, it will be a transformative experience. I'm not sure how many young athletes are playing cricket right now who could be pursuing an Olympic dream," he continued.

There have been discussions about removing shooting as a sport from the Olympic schedule following the 2028 Games, however three-time Olympic champion Campriani stated that both shotgun and target shooting will be available in Paris 2024, though it is not yet known how many medal events will be held in the Los Angeles Games.

Campriani responded, "No, that needs to be confirmed," when asked if the medal events would be the same as those in Paris in 2024.

"There are three different types of shooting sports: sport, shotgun, and 10m men's air rifle. At that point, the 10m men's air rifle competition and the number of shooters for each event will be decided.

"This applies also to the new sports, meaning number of teams, the competition format — everything will be after Paris 2024," he stated.

There have been rumors in the shooting community that the sport might not be included in upcoming editions due to the severe gun control laws that have been put in place in many nations, as well as the negative effects of lead used in live and pellet cartridges.

In reference to the LA 2028 slots program, Campriani stated that the goal was to place the optimal mix of sports.

"The idea was to come together with one milestone, with all the disciplines — the existing ones and the new proposed ones by international federation, as well as the new proposed sports and pending sports — all coming together at the same meeting, to put together the best combination for the programme," he stated.

"The addition of coastal rowing is the only modification to the discipline curriculum. Regarding firearms, shotguns and target shooting have been verified. identical medal events and disciplines.

"The exact combinations as well as athlete quotas will be confirmed at the time of event programme decision, which is after Paris 2024," he stated.