The England Cricket Board (ECB) is in talks with Cricket Scotland to field a “Great Britain” team in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, reported ESPN Cricinfo on Wednesday.
Cricket will be included in the 2028 Olympics for the first time in over a century as the only time cricket was played in the Olympics was in 1900.
In the Olympics, athletes from the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland play in the games under the Great Britain contingent and are called Team GB. The ECB wants the same for their cricket team in 2028 as the two national boards are in talks to make it happen.
"With the Los Angeles Olympics four years away, it's very early stages, but we're talking to Team GB and Cricket Scotland about the next steps we need to take. We look forward to working together to compete when cricket returns to the Olympic stage in 2028,” an ECB spokesperson told ESPNCricinfo.
“Along with England and Wales hosting Women's and Men's [T20] World Cups in 2026 and 2030, it's another great opportunity to grow the game and inspire more people to develop a love for cricket."
The Chief Executive of the British Olympic Association, Andy Anson, argued that many times different nations under the same body have come together for various sports and the same could happen in cricket too.
"We've got good experience in golf, in rugby and in women's football, of how the Four Nations [England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland] can come together and nominate one country to be the main governing body and work with the other countries. So I think cricket will be the same," said Anson.
While it is confirmed that cricket will be played in the T20 format, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not yet finalised the number of teams.
