Former SA captain Graeme Smith hailed cricket’s reintroduction in the LA 2028 Olympics as transformative. He said it adds a new dimension and dream for players, marking a major step forward in the sport’s global expansion.
Former South African captain and current SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith has said that the reintroduction of cricket in the Olympics has added a new dimension to the sport, considering the special place the marquee event holds in the sporting world. Smith was speaking to the Olympics.com.
A Major Step for Global Expansion
The return of cricket to the Olympics during the 2028 edition in Los Angeles signals another major step forward in the sport’s global expansion. This is only the second time the sport has made an appearance at the Olympics since 1900. Back then, only two teams, Great Britain and France, had played a two-day match, with the former winning the gold medal. Cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics demonstrates its growing popularity, with women’s cricket making its Commonwealth Games debut in 2022 at Birmingham. Both men’s and women’s cricket have been part of the Asian Games programme since 2010, 2014, and 2023.
A New Dream for Cricketers
With the franchise leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), SA20, and Big Bash League (BBL), Pakistan Super League (PSL), International League T20 (ILT20) and Major League Cricket (MLC) dominating a large chunk of the cricketing calendar, Smith said that the inclusion of cricket in Olympics could be transformative in long-term for the sport and expand its reach. “For many years, the Olympics simply were not part of cricket’s world,” Smith explained. “Players grew up dreaming of World Cups or playing in the IPL, but not necessarily about Olympic medals,” he added.
Citing the example of Novak Djokovic’s massive Paris Olympics gold win in 2024, Smith says that the Olympics “still hold a very special place” in various sports that have other prestigious tournaments as well. “For a young cricketer today, the chance to win an Olympic gold medal adds a completely new dimension to the game. It is another dream for the next generation to chase,” he signed off.
LA 2028 Cricket Tournament Details
Six teams each in the men’s and women’s categories, are set to battle for medals in an upcoming tournament. With 90 athlete quotas allocated for each tournament, participating nations can name squads of up to 15 members.
Following the announcement of the confirmed number of teams and the venue for LA28 back in April, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the T20 competitions for the men’s and women’s categories at LA28 will run from July 12 to July 29, 2028. The medal matches will be held on July 20 (women’s) and 29 July (men’s) respectively. All matches will be staged at the Pomona Fairplex, about 50 km from downtown Los Angeles. (ANI)
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