NEW DELHI: Cricket continues to make its presence felt at global sporting events, with India's most popular sport also set to return to the Olympic fold at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. The last time cricket featured at the Summer Games was back in 1900.
During its recent Board meeting in Dubai on Friday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) finalised the qualification process for the six teams that will compete at the 2028 Games, TimesofIndia.com reported. ICC confirmed that six teams each from both men's and women's categories will participate in the event.
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Earlier, there were reports that the top six teams as per the ICC T20I rankings would participate, but that arrangement has now been put to rest. The report further added that the top team from each region or continent will qualify, while a global qualifier will determine the sixth team.
"There have been discussions around the participation of teams, and it has been decided that the six teams will come through the top-ranked team from each region/continent, while the sixth comes from the global qualifier. The details will be shared by the ICC in due course, but the roadmap has more or less been frozen," says a veteran administrator who was part of the meeting in Dubai.
The new arrangement ensures that the top side from each continent or region will make up the first five teams. Based on the current rankings, India are expected to qualify from Asia, Australia from Oceania, England from Europe, and South Africa from Africa.
It remains to be seen whether the USA - as hosts - will qualify from the Americas or if the West Indies will take that spot. The ICC is expected to announce further details regarding the global qualifier soon.
There also remains a small possibility of an India-Pakistan clash at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, depending on how the qualification pathway unfolds. In its statement following the meeting, the ICC highlighted the growing success of women's cricket and provided an update on preparations for the LA28 Games.
