Great news for cricket fans! In 2028, cricket will return to the Olympics after 128 years. This was announced by the event organizers. The last time cricket was played at the Olympics was in 1900 in Paris, where only Great Britain and France played a two-day match. At the LA 2028 Games, cricket will be played in the exciting T20 format, with six teams competing for medals in both men’s and women’s events.
Each team can have a squad of 15 players, which means 90 athletes will participate for each gender. The International Cricket Council (ICC) includes 12 main cricket-playing countries—like India, Australia, and England—and there are also 94 other nations that play cricket.
The exact rules for how teams can qualify for the Olympic tournament are not confirmed yet. However, since the USA is the host country, they will likely get a spot right away. This means only five other teams will qualify based on their rankings. It is expected that the top five teams in the ICC rankings will secure their places at the Games.
Cricket isn’t the only new sport; baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash will also debut at LA 2028. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also added 22 more medal events than what is planned for Paris 2024. A total of 351 medal events will take place at LA 2028, with 10,500 athletes participating. Excitingly, for the first time, all team sports will have equal numbers of women’s and men’s teams. Additionally, boxing will see full gender equality with a new women’s weight category added.