Thomas Bach has already completed his task ahead of the IOC session in Mumbai. Cricket and squash have been added to the roster for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) giving their stamp of approval to the program proposals presented by the 2028 Summer Games organizers. This decision carries implications, potentially impacting Germany's Olympic aspirations.
When the work was done and the Olympic future was settled in his favor, Thomas Bach took his seat in front of the world press, visibly relaxed.
Even the tiresome questions about the Russia case did not upset the IOC President, who had found his favorite topic: The 2028 cricket comeback in Los Angeles and the associated dream of unlimited growth.
"It's a great opportunity for the IOC to connect with new athletes and fan communities," Bach enthused. And, in addition, a unique opportunity to further increase billions in revenue. The TV rights for LA28 are being retendered in India - with cricket in the program, they are worth many times that amount, according to a report by the industry portal insidethegames, $150 million instead of the previous $20. And the trend is upward.
The IOC government's decision, which also includes the inclusion of squash, flag football (premier), lacrosse (returning after 1904 and 1908) and baseball/softball (last in 2021), still needs to be rubber-stamped by the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai on Monday, but no one doubts it. Bach has the IOC under his control, shaping the present and future in a small circle.
BACH: CRICKET COMEBACK IS A "WIN-WIN SITUATION
He sees it in Asia, Bach made that clear most recently in China, and he repeats it unequivocally during his appearances in India. He is virtually courting the two most populous countries in the world, so the return of cricket to the Olympic program after 1900 seems like a personal gift.
The idea was born at a joint dinner with LA organization head Casey Wasserman on the fringes of the 2022 World Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Bach said. No persuasion was needed, he said, even though cricket hardly plays a role in the United States. The whole thing is a "win-win situation," Bach said nonetheless, one with potential for decades.
Because cricket has come to stay. In 2032 in Brisbane, Australians as part of the Commonwealth will enjoy matches between the great nations of India and Pakistan or Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England.
For 2036, India is considered a hot candidate, and Bach is encouraging his current hosts to pursue the bid with all their might. That makes Germany's sustainability-driven Olympic plans look modest.
IOC PLANS DOUBLE AWARD
The chances would be greater anyway for the Winter Games, preferably already for 2030, which hardly anyone really wants. But time has run out for that, as well as for 2034. Bach announced the double award on Friday at the 142nd IOC General Assembly next year before the Summer Games in Paris. Once again, the course has been set, and now only the Russian question remains.
Bach continues to play for time. With the suspension of the National Olympic Committee ROC, he has issued a symbolic sanction, and yet everything indicates that Russians and Belarusians will be at the start in Paris despite the invasion of Ukraine. "We are following our principles. We will not punish or sanction athletes for the actions of their officials or governments," Bach said.
He left open when a decision would be made on the start of the "neutral" athletes.
He emphasized, "There is no rush," clarifying, "We retain the option to invite specific neutral athletes holding Russian passports, rendering the ROC's involvement irrelevant." Bach intends to address this matter in a discreet manner, aligning it with his personal interests, without question.
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