The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has “accepted” the recommendation to include T20 cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The IOC took the decision on Friday, at its executive board meeting in Mumbai. The next step will be for the IOC to vote at its ‘Session’, which will take place in Mumbai from October 14 to 16.

The recommendation was made by the LA28 local organising committee for the “potential inclusion” of five new sports – cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash – as new sports for the Los Angeles Games.

Speaking at a media briefing on Friday, IOC president Thomas Bach said all five sports were “in line” with the general ethos of the LA28. “These proposals have been accepted as a package by the IOC executive board taking into consideration that these proposals and these sports are fully in line with the sports culture of our host in ’28, with the American sports culture,” Bach said. “They will showcase iconic American sports to the world while bringing at the same time international sports to the United States. The inclusion will, on the other hand, allow the Olympics to engage with new athletes and fan communities in the US and globally.”

During its presentation in front of LA28, the ICC had recommended a six-team T20 event for both men and women. The participating teams would comprise the top-six ranked sides in the ICC’s men’s and women’s T20 rankings on a cut-off date. The ICC proposed the T20 format as the best format since both LA28 and the IOC had emphasised that the format should be one in which there is a world championship conducted (which ruled out the T10 format, for example), has a compact duration (which ruled out ODIs) and had significant spectator interest.