Karl Stoss, the chairman of the Olympic Programme Commission, said the IOC will ‘work closely’ with the International Cricket Council to ensure the best players compete at the Olympics. The international cricket calendar for 2028 isn’t finalised yet and with the Games to be held from July 14-30, the IOC hopes a window will be created for the Games in the FTP.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah in clockwise direction. (FILE)

When asked about the top cricketers’ availability, ICC chairman Greg Barclay said, “Of course, it’s the Olympics.”

Will it make cricket a global game?

A lot is being said about the return into the Olympic fold making cricket a global game and taking it to countries where it has a very limited presence. Basically, make it a truly global Sport rather than just one played by Commonwealth countries.

But there are doubts over this. With the competition set to be a six-team affair, and the USA likely to get a direct berth by virtue of being hosts, there is a risk that cricket at the Games will be restricted to the usual suspects who will take the other spots. The qualification pathway for the Games will be decided after the Paris Olympics.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach gestures while speaking during the second day of the 141st IOC session in Mumbai, India, October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Niharika Kulkarni

Meanwhile, the IOC member from Ivory Coast, Tidjane Thiam, said the sport must increase its footprints to at least 75 percent of the 206 nations recognised by the IOC. At present, Thiam said, cricket is played in ‘less than 50 percent of the national federations’.

How will it impact other sports?

The addition of five sports – four of them being team sports – in Los Angeles means the total number of athletes will go beyond the agreed quota of 10,500. Stoss said the IOC has projected that roughly 742 more athletes will be a part of the Games.

To alleviate the burden on the Games village, the organisers have floated the possibility of some sports being held out of Los Angeles.

And then, there is a likelihood of other sports losing athlete quota or seeing a reduction in disciplines. There were murmurs about the number of teams in hockey being reduced from the current 12, but International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Ikram denied there was any such move.

Nicola Campriani, Italy’s gold medal-winning shooter who is the LA Games’ sports director, said it hasn’t been decided yet if medal events in shooting will be reduced.

“Both target shooting and shotguns have been confirmed. The exact combinations as well as athlete quotas will be confirmed at the time of event programme decision, which is after Paris 2024,” Campriani said.