Cricket is back in the Olympic Games after 128 long years and will be represented during the Olympics 2028. The last time Cricket was played in the Summer Olympics was during the 1900 games in Paris, France.
On Monday, it was confirmed that cricket during the Los Angeles games in 2028 will be played in the T20 format. Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli had a huge effect in making Cricket a part of the biggest sporting in the world.
Virat Kohli is currently with the Indian team taking part in the ODI World Cup 2023. The 34-year-old will next be seen playing against Bangladesh in Pune in India’s 4th game of the tournament on Thursday.
Virat Kohli’s role in Cricket’s entry into the Olympics –
Niccolo Campriani is the director of the Los Angeles Olympic Games 2028. He name-dropped Virat Kohli as one of the main reasons why the sport was included. T20 cricket is on the rise and the massive fan appeal of the former India skipper played a key role.
Campriani said, “Think [about] my friend here Virat [Kohli]. He’s the third-most followed athlete in the world on social media with 314 million followers. That’s more than LeBron James, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods combined. This is the ultimate win-win for LA 28″
The director of the LA 2028 Games also said, “We are thrilled to welcome the world’s second-most popular sport with an estimated 2.5 billion fans worldwide. Some of you might be wondering why in LA? Well, the commitment to grow cricket in the US is real, and it’s already happening with the launch of the very first Major League Cricket season earlier this year, which exceeded all expectations. And the [men’s] T20 World Cup in 2024 coming to US and West Indies.”
Virat Kohli will be aged 40 when the sport is played in LA in 2028. There is a good chance the former India skipper may or may not play in the event. One thing is confirmed though that the global and mass appeal of the 34-year-old did play a huge role in Cricket making it back to the Olympics.
During the 2022 Asian Games, the Indian cricket team both men and women won Gold Medals. This was pretty huge considering that India was participating for the first time in Asian Games. One just hopes we get to hear the Indian National Anthem on the podium in LA during the Olympic Games.
