The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board (IOC EB) has put forth a proposal for additional sports to be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, also known as LA28. The five sports suggested by the IOC EB are baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash. These proposals were submitted to the upcoming IOC Session.
This initiative was taken up by the Organising Committee of LA28 with an aim to diversify and broaden participation in the global event. With these new additions, they hope to capture more audiences worldwide while promoting inclusivity within various sporting disciplines.
Baseball and softball have been part of previous Olympic Games but were excluded after Beijing 2008 due to several reasons including lack of global appeal. However, their inclusion this time around emphasizes on local popularity as both sports enjoy significant support in United States. 🏏
Cricket is another sport that has seen its share of ups and downs when it comes to Olympic recognition. Despite being one of most popular games globally especially in countries like India, Australia & England; cricket hasn’t featured since Paris 1900 where only a two-team tournament took place!
Flag football is yet another interesting addition proposed by LA28 committee – it’s a non-contact version of American Football which promotes teamwork & strategizing without physical risks associated with traditional version.
Lacrosse sixes is relatively less-known variant featuring smaller teams making game faster-paced & exciting for spectators who might not be familiar with original format.
Finally squash rounds off list – despite being widely played across globe particularly Commonwealth nations; Squash has never made cut into official Olympic program till date so if approved this could mark historical debut for sport at world stage.
All these suggestions reflect strategic thinking behind LA28’s plan: bringing back locally-popular games while introducing potentially crowd-pleasing newcomers into mix thereby creating unique experience that celebrates diversity & spirit inherent in Olympics.
However, these proposed sports are still subject to approval by the IOC Session. The session will consider factors such as global popularity of the sport, its cultural significance and how well it aligns with Olympic values before making a final decision.
These proposals come at an exciting time when LA28 is gearing up for one of biggest sporting events on planet. With introduction of new sports into mix, we can only expect event to be more thrilling & engaging than ever before!
