Olympics Diary: Rahul Dravid wants to be part of LA 2028

The re-entry of cricket into the Olympic Games, beginning Los Angeles 2028, will mark a paradigm shift for the sport, and Rahul Dravid, arguably one of its finest ambassadors, says he wants to be part of it in four years’ time in some capacity.

The legendary Indian batter and occasional wicketkeeper, who signed off as the head coach of the national team after guiding it to T20 World Cup glory last month, was speaking at a panel discussion on 'Cricket at the Olympics - Dawn of a new Era' as part of the 'India House' series of events in Paris on Sunday.

The move to include T20 cricket in the ‘greatest show on earth’ had the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) strong backing, while it also eyes the US as an untapped market, starting with the country co-hosting the World T20. The India House, a pavilion sponsored by the Reliance Foundation to showcase the country on the sidelines of the Games, is part of the pitch ahead of India bidding for the 2036 Olympics.

Speaking at the conclave, Dravid said: “If you love sport as I have, you grow up with the Olympics. My earliest memories are of Carl Lewis winning at the Olympics and television coming to India. We used to be glued to the TV sets to watch these great athletes perform and play.

‘’You always wanted to be a part of a great event. You have great events in cricket but they are individual events. To be in this kind of environment, energy and vibe is a dream come true for any sportsman,” said Dravid, known to be an enthusiastic hockey player for his school, St. Joseph in Bengaluru.

The panel also featured International Cricket Council CEO Geoff Allardice and Harsh Jain, CEO of Dream Sports, curators of the event. Outlining the ICC’s vision of growing the game, Allardice said: “You could see in the way USA performed at the T20 World Cup and all of a sudden, people who didn’t know about cricket were talking about the performance of the USA team. Leading up to the Olympics in 2028, that was the first real statement there. USA having a really competitive cricket team four years out from hosting the Olympics is a really good step.”

Endorsing the ICC official’s view, Dravid said: “We know there is an incredible audience for cricket in the USA. We know that just from the number of people who travel from USA to other World Cup events. There is a huge passion for the game there. Just growing the game and having more people play the game was phenomenal.”

The former India captain said he was eagerly looking forward to cricket’s inclusion at the Games. “It always felt like cricket should be a part of this. It is truly a great game. It is followed by so many people around the world. It is fantastic for someone like me who is now only a fan. It is truly phenomenal.”