Rahul Dravid Praises Cricket’s Inclusion in Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

Former India head coach Rahul Dravid has expressed his enthusiasm for cricket being included in the sports program for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, calling the development “truly phenomenal.” Dravid’s comments came during a panel discussion titled “Cricket at the Olympics – Dawn of a New Era,” organized by Dream Sports at the first-ever India House at the ongoing Paris Olympics.

“If you love sport as I have, you grow up with the Olympics. My earliest memories are of Carl Lewis winning at the Olympics and television coming to India. We used to be glued to the television sets to watch these great athletes perform and play. You always wanted to be a part of a great event. You have great events in cricket, but they are individual events. To be in this kind of environment, energy, and vibe is a dream come true for any sportsman,” Dravid remarked.

The panel also included the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) CEO Geoff Allardice and Dream Sports CEO Harsh Jain. Allardice highlighted the ICC’s ambition to grow the game globally, stating, “You could see in the way USA performed at the T20 World Cup and all of a sudden people who didn’t know about cricket were talking about the performance of the USA team. Leading up to the Olympics in 2028, that was the first real statement there. USA having a really competitive cricket team four years out from hosting the Olympics is a really good step.”

Harsh Jain added that cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics is long overdue and a significant milestone for the sport’s development worldwide. “The ICC has over 100 members, so more than half of the world plays cricket. It is a big win-win for the world to have a billion people more watch the Olympics. It is a big moment for India and cricket. It is a big moment for cricket’s development in the world. A lot more funding would go towards cricket’s inclusion at the grassroots level,” Jain said.

Reflecting on the growing passion for cricket in the USA, Dravid said, “We know there is an incredible audience for cricket in the USA. We know that just from the number of people who travel from the USA to other World Cup events. There is a huge passion for the game in the USA. Just growing the game and having more people play the game was phenomenal.”

Dravid, a self-confessed sports fan, eagerly anticipates cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, saying, “It always felt like cricket should be a part of this. It is truly a great game. It is followed by so many people around the world. It is fantastic for someone like me who is now only a fan. It is truly phenomenal.”