Virat Kohli's Global Stardom Played Special Role In Inclusion Of Cricket In Olympics | Watch
Virat Kohli's massive 370 million-strong social media following on many platforms was a major factor in cricket's decision to be included in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The majority of members supported the move to incorporate cricket in the T20 format during the 141st IOC session.
Several sports were formally added to the Olympic schedule for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles during the 141st Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). These sports include flag football, baseball/softball, squash, men's and women's T20 cricket, and lacrosse (sixes).
The T20 variant of cricket will be played in the Olympics. In Mumbai, the majority of IOC members voted in favour of cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Olympics, with only two voting against it.
The famous Indian cricketer Virat Kohli became a key player in this campaign. The Los Angeles Olympic organisers were aware of Kohli's enormous impact and saw him as a surefire asset.
Italian Olympic shooter and LA28 sports director Niccolo Campriani emphasised Indian superstar Virat Kohli's enormous popularity during his presentation to the IOC. X, Facebook, and Instagram together have an astounding 370 million followers for Kohli, making him the third most followed sportsman globally.
"My friend Virat has 340 million followers on social media, making him the third most followed athlete globally." That surpasses the combined stats of Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, and Lebron James, according to Campriani.
"Cricket will be showcased on the global stage to go beyond the traditional cricket countries, which is an ultimate win-win for the 28th IOC and the cricket community," he continued.
LeBron James, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, and other American sports stars have significantly smaller fan bases than this enormous one, which makes a strong case for cricket's inclusion.
Still, there's one unanswered question: Will Kohli play cricket in the 2028 Summer Olympics? It's unclear if Kohli will continue to play the game with five years till the Olympics in Los Angeles.
Following evaluations by the IOC's Executive Board (EB) and Olympic Programme Commission (OPC), the LA28 Organising Committee presented the list of five new sports.