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FIFA's Infantino Meets ICC's Jay Shah, Eyes Sports Unity & Olympic Cricket

FIFA President Gianni Infantino met ICC Chairman Jay Shah in Milan, praising Shah's exemplary work in growing cricket. The leaders discussed collaboration to unite the world through sports, coinciding with cricket's historic return to the Olympics. Cricket will feature in the LA 2028 Summer Games in T20 format with separate men's and women's tournaments after a 128-year absence. The qualification process for the Olympics is yet to be finalized and may be discussed at the ICC's upcoming conference.

Key Points: FIFA President Meets ICC Chief, Discusses Olympic Cricket Return

  • Historic meeting between FIFA and ICC chiefs
  • Cricket's Olympic return after 128 years
  • Collaboration to unite world through sports
  • LA 2028 to feature T20 men's & women's tournaments
  • Qualification process for Olympics pending
2 min read

'I look forward to working together,' says FIFA prez Gianni Infantino after meeting ICC chief Jay Shah

FIFA President Gianni Infantino meets ICC Chairman Jay Shah, praising cricket's growth and collaboration as it returns to the Olympics in LA 2028.

"I look forward to working together and collaborating as we unite the world through sports. - Gianni Infantino"

New Delhi, Feb 5

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has met the International Cricket Council chief Jay Shah in Milan. The meeting marks the crossover between two of the most important people in the world's most popular sports.

Infantino shared a glimpse of the meeting with Shah through a post on Instagram. He lauded Shah's work in the growth of cricket and also wished him luck as cricket is getting back to the Olympics.

"It was my pleasure to meet ICC Chairman Jay Shah today in Milan. The outstanding work he has done to grow the beautiful game of cricket is exemplary. I wish him and everyone the very best as cricket gets reintroduced to the Summer Olympic Games in two years' time," he wrote in a post.

Infantino also expressed his desire to work with Shah to unite the world with the help of sports. "I also look forward to working together and collaborating as we unite the world through sports," he added.

Cricket is set to return to the Olympics in the 2028 Summer Games, to be held in Los Angeles, 128 years after its debut in Paris 1900, when Great Britain claimed gold in a one-off match against France.

At LA 2028, cricket will return in a much more modern avatar with separate T20 format tournaments for men and women - each with its own set of medals - gold, silver and bronze. The competitions for the men's and women's categories will run from 12 July to 29 July. The medal matches will be held on 20 July (women's) and 29 July (men's), respectively.

Six teams will be competing in each of the men's and women's tournaments, comprising 28 matches in all. A total of 90 athlete quotas have been allocated for each gender, allowing every team to name a 15-member squad.

All cricket matches at the LA 2028 Olympics will be held in a temporary, purpose-built venue at the Fairgrounds in Pomona - a city located about 50 kilometres from Los Angeles.

However, the qualification scenario for the LA28 Olympics is yet to be decided. It is expected that the topic will likely be discussed during the ICC's annual conference in Singapore, which will start on July 17.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
A meeting of giants! Football and cricket are truly the world's games. Hoping this collaboration means more investment in women's cricket too. The women's team deserves equal spotlight at the Olympics.
R
Rohit P
Good to see Indian leadership getting global recognition. But the real test is the qualification process. Hope the ICC ensures a fair system and doesn't just give spots to the 'big' nations. All cricket-playing countries deserve a shot.
S
Sarah B
As someone living in the US, I'm excited to see cricket at the LA Olympics! It's a chance to introduce this amazing sport to a new audience. Hope they market it well so the stadiums are full.
V
Vikram M
T20 format is perfect for the Olympics. Fast, exciting, and easy for new fans to follow. The pressure of an Olympic medal match will be something else entirely. Jai Hind!
K
Karthik V
Building a temporary stadium 50km from LA? That seems a bit far. Hope the logistics are smooth. The focus should be on giving athletes the best possible platform, not cutting costs.

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