Cricket among five sports added to 2028 LA Olympics

As Paris passes the torch to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already made significant adjustments to the event schedule. In 2023, the IOC approved proposals for five new sports at the 2028 Olympics, some of which — including lacrosse and cricket — haven’t been seen at the Games for over 100 years.

As of August 2024, these five sports have been officially approved for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Cricket

The most popular sport of cricket appeared only once at the Paris Olympics in 1900 and will make a grand return in 2028. The format to be played in Los Angeles will be Twenty20 (T20).

Squash

Squash will also make its Olympic debut in 2028, having previously appeared as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

Baseball/Softball

Baseball and softball will return to the Olympics in 2028 as a combined sport with two events: men’s baseball and women’s softball. However, these events will not be hosted in Los Angeles but in Oklahoma City, utilizing existing sports facilities. Historically, baseball was a men-only sport and softball a women-only event, but they were combined at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Flag Football

Flag football, a no-contact sport played in teams of five, will make its Olympic debut in 2028 in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The U.S. flag football women’s team is the reigning world champion, while Mexico defeated Team USA to take home the title at the 2022 World Games.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse will return to the Olympics for the third time in history in the form of Lacrosse Sixes, a fast-paced version of field lacrosse. The sport previously appeared at the 1904 and 1908 Olympic Games. World Lacrosse president Sue Redfern hailed its inclusion in the 2028 Olympics as a “seminal achievement” for the sport.