The IOC has included five new sports in the program of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday approved the inclusion of five new sports in the program of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. These included cricket, flag football, squash, lacrosse and baseball/softball. Most of the new Olympic sports, although baseball can only be recognized as such, were promoted to attract public attention in North America. Cricket stands out separately. Unpopular in much of the world, the species has significant commercial potential. Primarily thanks to India, where it is about the same as football in Brazil.

On Friday, the Council of the International Olympic Committee approved a proposal by the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles to include new sports in the competition program – cricket, flag football, squash, lacrosse and baseball/softball. Note that baseball/softball can very loosely be classified as beginners. Olympic medals in baseball were first played back in 1992 in Barcelona. Subsequently, due to the extremely narrow geographical distribution of the species (popular exclusively in North America, a number of Caribbean countries and Japan), it was either included or excluded from the Games program. And in 2028, in his homeland, in the USA, he will return again.

As you can see, most of the new sports at the Los Angeles Olympics are purely American, and very specific.

Squash is, in essence, a game of tennis not only against an opponent, but also against a wall. Lacrosse is something borrowed from the Indians by immigrants to America. The essence of the game is to throw the ball into the opponent’s goal using a stick with a net-trap attached to the end. Flag football is considered a lighter version of American football, but in fact it lacks its key component – power wrestling. Players don’t have to worry about being crushed by a 120-pound opponent. After all, fixing an opponent’s interception occurs by tearing off the ribbons attached to his hips.

But the inclusion of cricket in the Games program is quite capable of significantly expanding the financial capabilities of the IOC. Note that formally cricket is also not a pure Olympic newcomer. It was presented at the 1900 Games, but due to insufficient popularity in the world, it lost its Olympic status. Now, however, it is a different matter: cricket is still popular in the UK, but it is much more popular in India, with its nearly one and a half billion population. The rest of the world doesn’t know much about it, but India has real megastars. Let’s say Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli has almost 300 million followers on social media. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (more than 600 million) and Lionel Messi (almost 500 million) have more among athletes. The Indian cricket market is obviously so attractive that the IOC simply could not stay away.

In addition to the decision to include new disciplines in the Olympic program, the IOC Council also decided on the fate of two traditional sports – modern pentathlon and weightlifting.

The former’s Olympic status was called into question following the scandal that erupted at the Tokyo 2021 Games. Then the coach of the German athlete Annika Schloe, Kim Reisner, hit her horse named Saint Boy in the face. The animal was stubborn and refused to take the hurdles, which cost Shloy an Olympic medal, and for Kim Reisner the blow resulted in disqualification, as the case drew the ire of numerous animal welfare organizations. As a result, the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM), in order to save its reputation, decided to abandon the equestrian component. Equestrian part of the competition was replaced to overcome the obstacle course. The IOC Council considered this reform correct and recommended modern pentathlon for inclusion in the 2028 Games program.

As for weightlifting, its Olympic status was called into question due to a long series of doping scandals. The IOC Council, however, considered that the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) had done enough work to stop the practice of widespread use of prohibited drugs by athletes. So weightlifting will also retain its Olympic status.

Alexander Petrov