After several months of uncertainty and deliberations, the 141st session of the Committee was held International Olympic Committee (IOC)Where the sports program was accepted for 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles The five new sports proposed by the organizing committee include: Lacrosse, cricket, baseball/softball, squash and soccer.
It must be remembered that the first two sports were part of the event more than a century ago. he baseball It has been in and out of the games several times since 1992, while squash and American football will be played in its version known as ‘Football flag’ (Without contact), they would be an absolute novelty.
A new sport for more excitement
Chairman of the Austrian Games Program Committee Karl StossHe stated that the proposal assumed that the “best” would participate in all modalities, and specifically mentioned baseball and cricket. Its professional federations and associations will have to facilitate this and the IOC will “closely monitor” the fulfillment of this condition.
The session voted unanimously on the Los Angeles motion by a show of hands, approving it by a large majority, with only two votes against. These sports are only accepted for the 2028 edition and cannot be guaranteed to continue in future editions.
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Justified attendance
Before the vote, the team organizing the Games defended its list of additional sports. John HarperThe COO explained that the goal is to innovate and make the greatest possible impact, showcasing the sport rooted in their country’s culture and, conversely, raising awareness in the country. United State Other internationally relevant sports.
He said baseball would provide “the best” in Los Angeles the opportunity to compete in games. Lacrosse is “history” because of its indigenous roots. “It was the first team sport on the continent. It will be a return to the future,” he said after explaining the advantages of the “sixes” version, which will be Olympic.
Niccolò CamprianiThe sports director said American football is the most popular sport in the United States and that the proposed “flag” or “plate” version of the games, without contact, is the most inclusive. “Football is the future,” he said.
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The previous day, the session had agreed to full recognition of the FINA, which the IOC had only agreed to provisionally.
Campriani also said: “It’s time for squash,” and I emphasize its universality by remembering that among the top ten in the world rankings, men and women, four continents are represented.
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The director pointed to cricket as the second most popular sport in the world, with 2.5 billion followers. “There’s a commitment to making it grow in the United States,” he said. Additionally, he highlighted the digital attraction of the sport and mentioned that the Indian player Virat KohliThe match was attended by “the third most followed athlete (on social networking sites), 314 million.” LeBron James, Tom Brady And Tiger wood together”.
Karl Stoss He explained that the International Baseball/Softball Federation includes 191 national associations, cricket 108, American football 74, lacrosse 90, and squash 82.
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Many athletes live together
The inclusion of the five new sports, all together, will mean that in 2028 the quota of 10,500 athletes who will participate in Paris 2024 will be exceeded. An additional 742 athletes will join, thus reducing the quota of ‘traditional sports’,” admitted Stause.
Members of the association expressed doubts about the universality of some sports, the difficulty of citizens of some countries obtaining entry visas to the United States, and the high number of participants, but they voted in favor of them almost unanimously.
They also agreed to include it in Los Angeles 2028 for weightlifting and modern pentathlon, after their union resolved the outstanding issues; The first concerns governance, the second concerns its sporting programme: it will be held in one location, the jousting classification round will be canceled and horse riding will be replaced by an obstacle course.
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