Cricket confirmed as one of five new spots at Los Angeles Games, softball, baseball, flag football, squash, lacrosse

Cricket will be one of five new sports at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, organizers announced on Monday.

A vote at the International Olympic Committee session in Mumbai approved cricket, along with baseball/softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse.

The IOC Executive Board last week accepted a proposal from Los Angeles organizers to include Twenty20 cricket, the sport’s shortest format, among the other four new events.

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But the final choice was still to be voted on Monday at the IOC session in Mumbai, one of the world’s cricket centers, as India hosts the Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup.

Los Angeles Chiefs have proposed a six-team event, in both men’s and women’s T20 cricket.

The United States is expected to field teams as host nation, but no firm decisions have been made on the number of teams or how they will qualify.

Cricket was last featured at the Paris Olympics in 1900, when a British team defeated a team representing France.

Adding cricket to the Olympic program is an obvious decision, financially speaking.

It would tap into the lucrative South Asian market, attracting fans in countries like India and Pakistan.

The Indian Premier League, home to the world’s cricket stars, has helped India become the sport’s undisputed economic powerhouse, thanks to legions of fans and lucrative broadcast deals in a country where the game is almost a religion.