Niccolo Campriani, president of the organising committee for the Los Angeles Games 2028, stated that the tremendous popularity of Indian batsman Virat Kohli on social media played a factor in the decision to reintroduce cricket to the Olympics after an absence of more than a century.
On Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave its official approval for the addition of four other sports along with cricket in the Los Angeles Games 2028.
The last time that cricket was played at the Olympics was in 1900, when Great Britain won the competition by beating France to take home the gold medal.
According to Campriani, the popularity of Virat Kohli helped tip the scales in favour of cricket’s return to the biggest sporting spectacular in the world. Now, cricket is about to return to the spotlight of this event.
We are all aware of how essential it is to have a robust internet presence in order to ensure that video games continue to be popular among young people. And cricket provides a one-of-a-kind platform for them to do so,” Campriani said.
“Consider my close friend Virat in this situation. He has 314 million followers across all of his social media platforms, making him the third-most followed athlete in the world overall. That makes them more successful than LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods all together. This is the best possible scenario for LA 28 in every way.
“The International Olympic Committee and the cricket community as cricket will be showcased on a global stage to grow beyond the traditional cricket countries, while the Olympic movement gains access to previously untapped communities of athletes and fans. “The IOC and the cricket community as cricket will be showcased on a global stage to grow beyond the traditional cricket countries. It’s a fantastic illustration of how one can get in touch with the other.”