US Ambassador to Bharat Eric Garcetti talked about the
format of cricket in the 2028 Olympics and asserted that US will be one of the
teams to feature in the event.
Cricket will be a part of the Los Angeles Olympic
Games in 2028 and will make its return after 128 years to the multi-sport
extravaganza, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.
Garcetti said, “The cricket format will probably have
6 to 8 teams and US will be one of them.”
Baseball was also one of the sports that was included
in the list of sports which holds a high percentage of popularity in the US fan
base.
While talking about the inclusion of baseball, Garcetti
expressed his delight over the announcement and sent a message about not
choosing between cricket and baseball but loving them both.
“It is a Hollywood story. We know that the world
increasingly embraces American football. It is played in Europe, we have had
games here in Asia. Lacrosse is meaningful to us… It is an amazing, dynamic fast
game. We love baseball and softball. My message is, you don’t have to choose
between cricket and baseball. You can love both of them,” he stated.
“Squash is easy to set up in any Olympics. So, we want
to see more team sports. We are going to have a record number of athletes who
break every record and more athletes in LA Olympics,” Garcetti continued.
Voicing concerns over the ongoing wars, Russia-Ukraine
and Israel-Hamas in the world, Garcetti said in ancient times everybody used to
put down their weapons so that sports may unite them.
“I think we have wars and conflicts around the world.
The tradition of the Olympics was the Olympic truce, in ancient times everybody
put down their weapons to have sports unite us. While unfortunately now
sometimes wars do not end but for the moment, if you let the world come
together. So we hope that this inspires people that peace is better than war,
that participating together is better than conflict,” the US Envoy added.
Garcetti took to X, to say that cricket in the
Olympics was due for a long time and its inclusion reflects the diversity of
both countries – Bharat and US.
“Cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics has been a long
time coming. It also reflects the great diversity and athleticism of both of
our countries. I am so glad to be in India, the cricketing capital of the
world, to celebrate this landmark moment in Sports Diplomacy! A big thank you
to Nita Ambani, M Raj, Casey Wasserman, Jay Shah, and all the esteemed guests,
who joined me to celebrate the love of sports this evening. #LA28,” Garcetti
wrote on X.
The IOC session in Mumbai was inaugurated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The session serves as a key meeting of the
members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Important decisions regarding the future of the
Olympic games are made at the IOC Sessions. Bharat is hosting the IOC session
for the second time after a gap of about 40 years. The IOC’s 86th session was
held in New Delhi in 1983.
ANI
