New Delhi:

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti talked about the format of cricket in the 2028 Olympics and asserted that the US will be one of the teams to feature in the event.

Cricket will be a part of the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 and will make its return after 128 years to the multi-sport extravaganza, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.

While speaking to ANI, Mr Garcetti said, “The cricket format will probably have 6-8 teams and the US will be one of them.”

Baseball was also one of the sports that was included in the list of sports which holds a high percentage of popularity in the US fan base. While talking about the inclusion of baseball, Mr Garcetti expressed his delight over the announcement and sent a message about not choosing between cricket and baseball but loving them both.

“It is a Hollywood story. We know that the world increasingly embraces American football. It is played in Europe, we have had games here in Asia. Lacrosse is meaningful to us…It is an amazing, dynamic fast game. We love baseball and softball. My message is, you don’t have to choose between cricket and baseball. You can love both of them. Squash is easy to set up in any Olympics. So, we want to see more team sports. We are going to have a record number of athletes who break every record and more athletes in LA Olympics,” Mr Garcetti said.

Voicing concerns over the ongoing wars, Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas in the world, Mrr Garcetti said that in ancient times everybody used to put down their weapons so that sports may unite them.

“I think we have wars and conflicts around the world. The tradition of the Olympics was the Olympic truce, in ancient times everybody put down their weapons to have sports unite us. While unfortunately now sometimes wars do not end but for the moment, if you let the world come together. So we hope that this inspires people that peace is better than war, that participating together is better than conflict,” the US Envoy added.

Mr Garcetti also took to X, formerly Twitter, to say that cricket in the Olympics was due for a long time and its inclusion reflects the diversity of both countries – India and the US.

“Cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics has been a long time coming. It also reflects the great diversity and athleticism of both of our countries. I am so glad to be in India, the cricketing capital of the world, to celebrate this landmark moment in #SportsDiplomacy! A big thank you to Nita Ambani, @M_Raj03, Casey Wasserman, @JayShah, and all the esteemed guests who joined me to celebrate the love of sports this evening. #LA28,” Mr Garcetti wrote on X.

Cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics has been a long time coming. It also reflects the great diversity and athleticism of both of our countries. I am so glad to be in India, the cricketing capital of the world, to celebrate this landmark moment in #SportsDiplomacy!
A big thank… pic.twitter.com/dgC7kOzfWf

— U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti (@USAmbIndia) October 16, 2023

The IOC session in Mumbai was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The session serves as a key meeting of the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Important decisions regarding the future of the Olympic games are made at the IOC Sessions. India is hosting the IOC session for the second time after a gap of about 40 years. The IOC’s 86th session was held in New Delhi in 1983.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Five sports, including cricket and squash, were included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games on Monday after gaining the approval of the International Olympic Committee.

Cricket makes its return to the Olympics after more than 100 years after the sport was approved for inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Games by the International Olympic Committee’s executive board.

IOC president Thomas Bach, speaking after the second day of an executive board meeting in Mumbai on October 13, said officials had accepted a proposal by LA organisers for Twenty20 cricket to be included as one of five new sports together with baseball/softball, flag football (non-contact American football), squash and lacrosse.

But the final choice of which sports are on the 2028 programme was voted today at the IOC session in Mumbai. Each host city, under IOC rules, can request the inclusion of several sports for their edition of the Games.

The LA Games proposal is for a six-team Twenty20 cricket tournament for men and women. T20 is a short format of the game.

The IOC hopes cricket’s inclusion will activate and engage a large, new Olympic audience, especially among Asian fans of the sport.

Cricket has been played in the Olympics only once before, in Paris in 1900, when England defeated France.

(With inputs from Reuters, PTI)