The ICC working group is still discussing a format suitable for the 2028 Olympics but T20 has proved popular across the globe ©Getty Images

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have insisted that their bid for inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics is still on course.

"It remains an absolute priority for the ICC to aim for Olympic inclusion at the LA28 Games," an ICC spokesperson told insidethegames, in response to reports on the Indian subcontinent that suggested the international governing body was resigned to targeting the Brisbane 2032 edition.

The addition of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah to the ICC Olympic working group has also been confirmed, but ICC chairman Greg Barclay continues to lead the group.

Shah’s appointment as part of the panel is considered very significant as the BCCI wields considerable financial power in world cricket.

Shah is President of the Asian Cricket Council, heads the ICC’s Finance Committee and is the full members representative on the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee.

The BCCI's lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) has continued to grow as the flagship tournament of the Twenty20 format.


The 2022 men's IPL Final attracted a world record 101,566 spectators and a women’s IPL is set to be launched in March 2023.

Twenty20 was the format chosen when the sport was included at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014. 

It is set to be included in the 2023 Games in Hangzhou where men’s and women’s tournaments are set to play out shortly before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meets in Mumbai to decide on which of nine proposed sports will be included for LA28.

Discussions are still continuing on which format of the game will be proposed to the IOC, but Twenty20 also enjoyed great success at the 2022 Commonwealth Games when a women’s only tournament was staged.

Twenty20 is also set to be used at the 2023 African Games in Ghana.

76 per cent of the global television audience for the last Women's T20 World Cup came from India ©Getty Images
76 per cent of the global television audience for the last Women's T20 World Cup came from India ©Getty Images

ICC figures recorded a global television audience of 1.28 billion for the Men’s T20 World Cup last October and November at grounds across Australia, the highest yet seen.

The ICC claimed it was the "most digitally engaged ICC event ever."

The most recent Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, also in Australia, attracted a "global unique audience" of 89 million.

Global viewing hours more than doubled to 113.5 million from the previous tournament with 76 per cent of the total audience in India.