KUALA LUMPUR – The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) lauds the momentous decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board to add of five new sports to the grand Olympic stage.
The Los Angeles Olympic Games 2028 (LA28) will feature baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash.
The OCM, in an official statement today, commends the move to include these sports, a proposal made by the LA28 organising committee in line with IOC rules that grant host cities the prerogative to request new sports for their Games.
It was approved at the IOC Session held today in Mumbai, India.
OCM president, Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, expressed his delight in the statement, highlighting the significant contributions of sports organisations like 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).
These organisations have not only actively promoted the development of their respective sports in Malaysia but have also maintained a longstanding affiliation with the OCM.
“We have plenty of reasons to be pleased with the inclusion of the five 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 Norza.
The proposed new Olympic sports will complement the 28 sports initially announced on the LA28 sports programme by the IOC in February 2022.
These include a diverse range of disciplines such as 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.
Remarkably, squash and flag football stand out as the only two newcomers to the Olympic Sports Programme.
While baseball has featured in previous Games, its inclusion at Tokyo 2020 came after omissions in London 2012 and Rio 2016. But, it will not be a part of the Paris 2024 Games.
Softball, the female counterpart to baseball, has appeared at five previous editions of the Olympics, yet was absent from the roster for Paris 2024.
Lacrosse, with its presence at the Olympic Games in St Louis 1904 and London 1908, also appeared as a demonstration sport at Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932, and London 1948.
Cricket, which last made an appearance in the Olympic Games Paris 1900, is set for a remarkable comeback on the Olympic stage.
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.
With this, the LA28 Sports Programme now boasts a total of 35 sports, encompassing the original 28, plus five new Olympic sports and modern pentathlon and weightlifting. – October 16, 2023