Highlighting his priority of cricket’s continued involvement in the Olympic movement, new International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah, on Thursday, held a meeting with Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee (OCOG) CEO Cindy Hook.

While cricket is set to make a comeback to the Olympic fold in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, after a hiatus of 128 years, Shah’s meeting with the Brisbane Olympics OC CEO, highlights the ongoing efforts to integrate cricket into the Olympic movement and the enthusiasm surrounding its return.

Shah shared a glimpse of his meeting with Hook on his X account and wrote, “Very exciting time ahead for Cricket’s involvement in the Olympics movement – a meeting with the @Brisbane_2032 organizing committee in Brisbane, Australia today.”

The decision to include cricket in the 2028 Olympics was made during the 141st International Olympic Committee session held in Mumbai in October of last year. Cricket’s reintroduction to the Olympics follows its successful return to the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, where it was included for the first time since 2014. The Asian Games featured a multi-nation T20 tournament for both men’s and women’s teams. India dominated the event, securing gold medals in both categories.

Meanwhile, Shah, who assumed charge as the ICC chairman on December 1, had stressed making cricket ‘accessible to more people while ensuring its evolution meets the aspirations of fans worldwide’ in his first public statement.

“As we enter a transformative phase for cricket, I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and Member countries to grow the game’s global footprint and create new avenues for its development,” Shah had said.

“From grassroots initiatives to marquee events, my vision is to make cricket accessible to more people while ensuring its evolution meets the aspirations of fans worldwide,” he added.

The 2032 Olympics will be held across 37 proposed venues across the host city Brisbane, several co-host cities around Queensland, and joined by select venues in Melbourne and Sydney – two iconic Australian cities already etched into the Olympic record books.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games Brisbane 2032 currently includes 37 proposed venues, set to host the 28 Olympic and 22 Paralympic sports.