Oct. 16 (UPI) — Cricket and squash are among six sports that will be included in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, the International Olympic Committee announced Monday.
“It’s everything that you can dream of as an athlete to be able to compete in the Olympic Games,” top American squash player Amanda Sobhy said in a news release.
“To be able to compete for an Olympic gold medal, and just say that you were an Olympian is something that no one can ever take away from you.”
Flag football, lacrosse, baseball and softball also will be included in the Summer Games. Flag football and squash will make their Olympic debuts. Cricket will be an Olympic sports for the first time since 1900. Lacrosse returns for the first time since 1908.
“We are convinced that flag football will offer an exciting new dimension to the Games — uniting them, for the first time in history, with America’s No. 1 sport in its youngest, most accessible and inclusive format, which is already spearheading extraordinary growth, particularly among youth audiences, women and girls and in new countries worldwide,” International Federation of American Football president Pierre Trochet said.
Baseball and softball made their Olympic returns at the 2020 Summer Games after a hiatus.
“The return of baseball and softball to the Olympics in 2028 is an important development for the ongoing global growth of our sport,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
The LA28 organizing committee proposed last week for the six sports to be added to the Olympic competition menu. The 2028 Summer Games will be held July 14 to 30.
The IOC had announced in February 2022 that 28 sports were approved for the 2028 Summer Games. Monday’s inclusion of the six more sports — plus support for recommendations to include the modern pentathlon and weightlifting in the program — could result in an Olympic record number of events in Los Angeles.
“The choice of these [six] new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States,” IOC president Thomas Bach said.
“These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique. Their inclusion will allow the Olympic movement to engage with new athlete and fan communities in the U.S. and globally.”
The IOC announced that a decision was “put on hold” about including boxing in the Olympics.
The full program of events and athlete quotas will be finalized for the 2028 Summer Games after the 2024 Summer Games, which will be held from July 26 to Aug. 11 in Paris.
“I have long believed that we have an incredible opportunity in Los Angeles to create the most compelling Games, not just for us, but for the world,” Los Angeles 2028 chairperson Casey Wasserman said. “Our Olympic sport program, in its entirety, reflects this belief.”
