Cricket at forefront as decision to include this sport in Olympics to be taken in October

In a few years, the day will come when we will see cricket in the Olympics as well. A decision on the inclusion of this sport in the Olympics will be taken in October. Already it is ahead of other sports in every way.

Hyderabad: The time has come for cricket fans in India to move to the Olympics. Among the nine sports being considered for inclusion in the Olympics in 2028, cricket seems to be at the forefront. The Olympic Committee is seriously considering the matter of turning the huge fanbase of cricket towards them. It is expected that the key decision regarding this will be taken between October 15 and 16. Around 100 IOC members will vote in Mumbai for the 2028 Olympics to be held in Los Angeles.

On September 8 in Lausanne, Switzerland, there are chances of reaching a final decision in the meeting of the members of the IOC Executive Board. IOC President Thomas Bach will also participate in the meeting. Along with cricket, the sports competing for a place in the Olympics include flag football, karate, kickboxing, baseball-softball, lacrosse, break dancing, squash and motorsport.

Speaking about the inclusion of new sports in the Olympics, IOC's former director of marketing and broadcasting rights, Mitchell Payne, said that if the conditions are carefully considered, it is almost certain that cricket will be included in the Olympics. He reminded that the number of cricket fans in America is increasing. Some big tech companies have already invested heavily in the Major League. Moreover, the Olympics will be held in Australia in 2032 and Mitchell analysed that cricket is the biggest sport there. It is said that there is a large number of fans of cricket in the city of Brisbane.

Mitchell said that IOC is looking to capture the huge cricket market in South Asia and India. He said that the only places in the world where the Olympics have the least impact are India and Pakistan in the subcontinent. In this backdrop, if cricket is included in the Olympics, fans can also be attracted there. On the other hand, India hopes to file a bid to host the Olympics in 2036. It is currently in its early stages. Cricket was last played in the Olympics in 1900 in which Britain and France fought for the gold medal and Britain bagged it.