The LA28 Organising Committee’s proposal will next go to the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission, which will then issue a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board. If accepted, it will then be presented to the IOC Session for approval.
Five sports have been proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee for inclusion at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in five years’ time, pending approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They are baseball-softball, cricket, flag football (a limited-contact version of American football), lacrosse, and squash.
LA28’s proposal now goes to the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission, which will discuss the proposal and issue a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board (EB). If the recommendation is accepted, the IOC EB will present the proposal to the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India (15-17 October).
If approved, the final event programme and number of athlete quotas in the additional sports will be finalised in the future.
Of the five proposed sports, three have previously been sports contested at the Olympic Games: baseball-softball (1992–2008 and 2020), cricket (1900), and lacrosse (1904 and 1908). Unlike its only previous appearance at the Paris 1900 Games, cricket will not be contested as a two-innings-a-side competition. Instead, the proposal foresees a limited-overs Twenty20 format for the event.
The proposed format for lacrosse is Lacrosse Sixes. Lacrosse appeared in consecutive Games in the early 20th century, with Canada winning both gold medals awarded in the sport. Baseball-softball, meanwhile, was most recently included on the Olympic programme at Tokyo 2020, where hosts Japan won both gold medals.
“LA28’s 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 centers, stadiums and parks across the U.S. and the globe,” said LA28 Chairperson Casey Wasserman. “They will bring new athletes to the Games, engage diverse fanbases and expand the Games’ presence in digital spaces, further amplifying LA28’s mission to deliver an unparalleled experience.”
The framework set by Olympic Agenda 2020, Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and Rule 45 of the Olympic Charter gives flexibility to review the Olympic programme for each edition of the Games in order to introduce innovation and sustainability and promote gender equality.
Tokyo 2020 (baseball-softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing), Paris 2024 (breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing), and Milano Cortina 2026 (ski mountaineering) have each included additional sports on the Olympic programme under this framework.
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