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Cricket is set to make an Olympic comeback for the first time in 128 years after being proposed for inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
- Cricket has only been played once at the Olympics, in 1900
- Next year's T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by USA and West Indies
- Cricket returned to the Commonwealth Games last year, with Australia winning gold
If accepted, that would lock it in for Brisbane 2032.
Other sports on the list for inclusion in LA are flag football — an OzTag-like version of gridiron — as well as lacrosse, squash, baseball and softball — the latter two have featured at several Olympics but will not be played next year in Paris.
Out is breakdancing, which will be a one-and-done after its debut in Paris next year. Others not making the cut include motorsports, kickboxing and karate.
Cricket was a success at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, with Australia winning gold.
The format was T20 as is set to be the case at the Olympics, but unlike Birmingham where only women played, the LA 2028 plan would include a men's tournament too.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been pushing the sport's case for inclusion and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) appears to have been convinced by the prospect of engaging with the lucrative Indian television market.
ICC chairman Greg Barclay was cautiously optimistic, two years on from the governing body announcing it would bid to have the sport included at the Olympics.
"We are delighted that LA28 have recommended cricket for inclusion in the Olympics," he said.
"Whilst this is not the final decision, it is a very significant landmark towards seeing cricket at the Olympics for the first time in more than a century."
It is part of cricket's push into North America, with the 2024 T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by the USA and traditional cricket power the West Indies.
The Olympic proposal is expected to be approved by the IOC at the end of this week.
The 141st IOC session is coincidentally in the Indian city of Mumbai, where they can see the impact of the Cricket World Cup at close hand.
LA28 chairperson Casey Wasserman said: "The proposed sports ignite the imagination on the field of play and drive culture off it.
"They're relevant, innovative and community-based, played in backyards, schoolyards, community centres, stadiums and parks across the US and the globe."
Cricket was played once before at the Olympics -- in Paris in 1900. Due to withdrawals, it consisted of one two-innings match in which Great Britain beat France by 158 runs. Each side had 12 players, all but two of whom never played first-class cricket, and most of the French team were English expatriates.
With five team sports pushing numbers up significantly, other sports in 2028 may have to trim the number of disciplines to help the IOC adhere to their limit of 10,500 athletes at a Summer Olympics.
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AAP