Cricket, Flag Football, and Three Other Sports to Join Olympic Program in 2028

This article was last updated on October 13, 2023

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Cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash will be part of the Olympic program in five years.

In an exciting development, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed to include cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash in the Olympic program for the 2028 Games to be held in Los Angeles. While the formal voting by IOC members is yet to take place, Chairman Thomas Bach is confident that there will be no issues in approving these sports.

“The choice of these five new sports is in line with American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world,” Bach announced during a meeting of the IOC’s executive committee. “At the same time, this decision brings back international sports to the United States.”

Nostalgic Returns and Historic Debuts

Baseball, cricket, and lacrosse have been part of the Olympic Games in the past, although it has been a considerable amount of time since their last inclusion. Lacrosse featured in the Olympics in 1904 and 1908, while cricket made its appearance in 1900. Baseball and softball, on the other hand, were part of the 2021 Tokyo Games but will not be on the program in Paris.

Joining these returning sports will be two new additions to the Olympic program: squash and flag football. While squash has been a long-time contender for inclusion, 2028 will mark its first appearance as an Olympic sport. Flag football, a non-contact variant of American football where players carry flags that need to be taken away rather than tackled, will also make its debut in Los Angeles.

A Change in Plans

The inclusion of these five sports in the 2028 Olympics means that breakdancing, which was scheduled to be part of the 2024 Paris Games, will have to wait for another opportunity. The decision came as a surprise to many, as breakdancing had generated significant buzz and excitement. However, with the introduction of cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash, and baseball/softball, the landscape of the Olympics is set to change.

Despite breakdancing’s absence in 2028, there are high hopes for Dutch athletes, including India Sardjoe (17) and Menno van Gorp (34), to secure medals in this exhilarating discipline at the 2024 Paris Games.