Olympic inclusion opens the door for sports to grow

While some sports have not really benefited from being included at the Olympics, for others it provides a real chance to spread and grow, and there are some unique codes which should draw interest at the 2028 Games.

Five sports have been added to the programme for the Los Angeles showpiece, it was confirmed earlier this week, including cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash.

Baseball (men) and softball (women) have been on and off the Olympic programme in recent decades, while lacrosse was last played in 1908 and cricket hasn’t been contested at the Games since 1900. For flag football and squash, it will be their first appearances at the prestigious multi-sport showpiece.

For a sport like cricket, it remains unclear how much interest it will attract, with millions of fans already swamped by a saturated fixtures list which includes multiple World Cups, Test series and T20 leagues.

Like golf, which wasn’t able to attract most of the world’s top players, cricket might not be able to use the Games to elevate itself. It’s already on a high enough perch.

And while spectators might be eager to watch the T20 tournament, and the players might offer it the same respect as sevens rugby has done, it won’t do anything to expand the code.

Not so, however, for the other sports which will be added to the schedule in LA.

Long-term benefits

Even for baseball and softball, already established Olympic codes, they will be hoping to use the showpiece to draw more global interest while cementing their place at future editions of the quadrennial Games.

Lacrosse and flag football (a ‘touch rugby’ version of American Football) have even more to gain, with the host nation giving them a chance to expand the sports beyond their solid foundations in North America.

Similarly, squash can draw multiple benefits from being added to the list of official Olympic sports. Already popular across the world, it seems a bit strange that it has taken this long for it to be included, and it should now get the recognition it deserves.

World Squash expressed its delight, claiming the sport’s Olympic participation would “advance its mission to deliver an unparalleled experience for athletes, fans and the entire sports community”.

And the governing body’s reaction is no surprise. Competing at the Olympics gives new sports a chance to draw interest in untouched areas, while attracting more sponsors and increased media coverage, and raising participation levels at national and regional events.

As we saw with surfing at the Tokyo Olympics a couple of years ago, new codes can attract penty of interest.

I’ve never even watched a game of lacrosse. It might be awesome. Let’s give it a go.