Jay Shah strengthens ICC–IOC collaboration ahead of cricket’s Olympic return

Jay Shah, chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), met in Lausanne, Switzerland, with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry in order to further develop discussions on the return of cricket to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.

The discussions stemmed from reaching out to bring cooperation between the ICC and IOC as preparations are advancing for cricket's return to the Summer Games. If cricket takes place in Los Angeles 2028, it would be only the sport's second Olympic appearance, the first being in Paris 1900, when Great Britain defeated France in an exhibition match to earn the Olympic gold medal.

Shah shared on social media about the meeting with Coventry, “It was a pleasure to meet with IOC President Kirsty Coventry to continue our ongoing discussions on the road to LA28 and cricket’s return to the Olympic Games. We reflected on the progress made so far and the substantial role cricket can play in the growth of the Olympic movement”.

Cricket’s Olympic comeback gathers momentum as Jay Shah and Kirsty Coventry discuss LA28 preparations in Switzerland

Shah has been a significant advocate for cricket's inclusion in LA28. Earlier this year, he attended the IOC presidential elections in Greece, where Coventry was elected to be the first woman and African president of the global sporting body. Shah also met former IOC president Thomas Bach in January during the LA28 International Federations seminar, held at the Olympic House in Lausanne, to discuss key areas of collaboration between the two organisations.

ALSO SEE: 'Our thoughts are with you...'- Statement from Phillip Hughes family on the tragic death of 17-year-old cricketer

At LA28, cricket will be played in T20, with six teams each for men and women, and each gender will have 90 athlete quotas, allowing countries to enter squads of 15 players. The women's medal match is scheduled for July 20, 2028, and the men's final for July 29 - all matches will be played at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, a short drive (50km) from downtown Los Angeles.

The inclusion of cricket in the LA28 Olympics will be a historic landmark in driving the game internationally forward into new markets and will, importantly, leverage the Olympic Games for a larger audience to experience cricket.