The United States Ambassador to India believes his countrymen will come to share his joy in the “unabashed fun” of Twenty20 cricket when the format is featured at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The shortest form of international cricket was approved as one of the five new sports for LA 2028 at the International Olympic Committee’s session in Mumbai on Monday. Flag football, baseball/softball, lacrosse and squash were the others. Eric Garcetti, a former mayor of Los Angeles, told reporters in Mumbai late on Monday that his passion for cricket had grown during his time in Britain but blossomed after he took up his post in India six months ago.
“I became a real fan when I came here and the T20 format because it is so fast,” he said.
“Most of us don’t have a few days to watch a Test match, or seven hours for a World Cup match. But here to watch two or three hours of unabashed fun, I’m a convert.”
Cricket’s only previous appearance at the Olympics was at the 1900 Games in Paris, where a team from Great Britain defeated France in a solitary match.
“This is a great day for the Olympic movement, a great day for India, a great day for the United States and a great day for cricket fans everywhere,” Garcetti said.
“I think it will ignite a new generation of cricketers and cricket fans… We think this format is perfect for the Olympics, perfect for cricket, and no better place to launch than here, in the middle of the cricket madness.”
The Indian Premier League, featuring the game’s global stars, has cemented India’s position as the sport’s undisputed economic powerhouse, thanks to legions of fans and lucrative broadcast deals in a country where the game is almost a religion.
Monday’s voting also took place as India hosts the men’s over-50 cricket world cup.
Major League Cricket, a professional Twenty20 league, launched in the United States in July, with the US co-hosting next year’s Men’s T20 World Cup along with territories in the West Indies.
“By the time of the Olympics, not only will Major League Cricket be important in the US, we will have the facilities and the fan base,” Garcetti said.
On a more serious note, Garcetti expressed support for the concept of the Olympic truce, amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“The tradition of the Olympic Games was the Olympic truce,” he said.
“In ancient times, everyone put down their weapons to let sport unite us… So we hope this inspires people that peace is better than war, that joining together is better than conflict.”
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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