When cricket returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, it will bring more than bats, balls and wickets.
Its inclusion reflects a strategic calculation by Olympic leaders that the surest route to billions of new viewers is through India, cricket’s commercial hub and a country they believe is increasingly central to the Games’ future.
Cricket, which has not participated in the Olympics since 1900, offers the International Olympic Committee (IOC) something that no recent addition has: direct access to a fan base of more than two billion and, most importantly, the commercial power of the Indian market.
With the Games seeking a younger and wider audience, it could prove the most important sport added to the Olympic program in decades.
Cricket has become one of the major international sports that will not participate in the Olympics, IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey said in an interview.
“It’s very strong in markets where you could probably say the Olympics today may not have penetrated as much as it has in other markets,” he said.
