Five sports including cricket to be included in the LA Olympics 2028

On 16 October 2023, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its Mumbai meeting decided to include Baseball-Softball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse and Squash in the Los Angeles (LA) Olympic Games 2028.

Before this, Cricket was last played in the Olympics in 1900.

Prime Minister Modi welcomed this decision of IOC:

• Welcoming this decision of the IOC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the inclusion of cricket in the Olympic Games shows the growing global popularity of this wonderful game.

Cricket's popularity will increase further:

• Cricket will now also be seen on the world's biggest platform like the Olympics. Cricket is the most popular sport in the world after football. After joining the Olympics, the popularity of this game will increase further. Also, many other countries of the world will participate in this game.

Cricket will be organized in T20 format:

• The T20 format of cricket will be organized in Olympics 2028. The winner will be decided on the basis of the T20 format among the participating teams.

A total of five sports also got a place:

• Along with cricket, five new sports have also been included in the Olympics to be held in the year 2028, including baseball, softball, flag football (non-contact American football), squash and lacrosse.

Cricket will return to the Olympic Games after 128 years:

• Cricket enjoys massive popularity in many countries of Asia including India. Additionally, the number of viewers is also increasing globally. Cricket was last played in the Olympics in 1900. At the 1900 Paris Olympics, two teams played each other in a two-day 'test' match format.

International Olympic Committee (IOC):

• Founded: June 23, 1894
• Chairman: Thomas Bach
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• The IOC is a non-profit, independent international organization committed to building a better world through sport.
• The IOC ensures the regular organization of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organizations and promotes Olympic values in appropriate ways.

Expected Questions for the Exams:

Q. 1. Recently the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to include how many new sports in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games?

Answer - Five (The IOC decided to include baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash in the Los Angeles Olympic Games 2028.)

Q. 2. Cricket will be re-introduced into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games after how many years?

Answer - 128 (Earlier, cricket was last played in the Olympics in 1900.)

Q. 3. Apart from cricket, which sports have been included by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games?

Answer - Baseball-Softball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse and Squash

Q. 4. In which format was it decided to include cricket in the Los Angeles Olympic Games of the year 2028?

Answer - Cricket will be included in the T20 format.

Q. 5. Who is the current President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)?

Answer - Thomas Bach