The OCM has hailed the decision by the IOC Executive Board to support the inclusion of 5 new Olympic sports: Baseball/Softball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse and Squash, to be contested in the XXXIV Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28).
The proposed 5 new Olympic sports would come in addition to the 28 on the LA28 initial sports programme announced by the IOC in February 2022 – Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Canoe, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball and Wrestling.
The 5 new Olympic sports had been proposed for inclusion by the Organising Committee of the XXXIV Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, in line with IOC rules which allow the host city to request the inclusion of several sports for their edition of the Games. It was approved at the 141st IOC Session on Monday, 16th October 2023, in Mumbai, India.
Squash and Flag Football are the only two new sports to be included in the Olympic Sports Programme.
Baseball was featured in several previous Games. It was added to the sports programme of Tokyo 2020 after being left off in London 2012 and Rio 2016, but it will not be a part of the Paris 2024.
Softball, the female counterpart to Baseball, has appeared at 5 previous editions of the Olympic Games but was struck off the list from the Paris 2024.
Lacrosse was part of the III Olympic Games St Louis 1904 and IV Olympic Games London 1908 and made appearances as a demonstration sport at the Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932 and London 1948.
Cricket last made an appearance in the II Olympic Games Paris 1900.
The IOC Executive Board also recommended the inclusion of Modern Pentathlon, after its International Federation, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), replaced horse riding with an Obstacle Running Course and Weightlifting, after changes were made to its Anti-Doping testing procedures.
Therefore, the total number of sports in the Sports Programme of LA28 stands at 35 sports, including the 28 initial sports, plus 5 new Olympic sports and Modern Pentathlon and Weightlifting.
“Among the 5 new Olympic sports, the Baseball Federation of Malaysia (BFM), the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA), the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) and the Softball Association of Malaysia (SAM) have been actively promoting the development of their respective sports in Malaysia and have been affiliated with the OCM for decades”,
“We have plenty of reasons to be pleased with the inclusion of the 5 new Olympic sports, particularly Squash, for the Los Angeles Olympics as Squash has been a consistent medal contributor to the Malaysian Contingent in various Multi-Sport Games under the jurisdiction of OCM”,
“We will be banking on the boost provided by Olympic participation to spur the growth of Squash. The challenge is to make Squash a permanent fixture in future Olympic Games” said the President of OCM, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri (Dr.) Mohamad Norza Zakaria.
