The great Rahul Dravid, who has been a strong advocate for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, stated on Sunday that players are eager to compete in the largest athletic event in the world and that he has overheard “serious dressing room conversations” about it.
Dravid is in Paris for a panel discussion honoring cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with the topic “Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era.”
“I’ve already heard a few conversations in the dressing room. People are talking about the 2026 T20 World Cup, there is an ODI World Cup in 2027, and you hear people saying there is the Olympics in 2028,” Dravid said during the discussion.
“People are going to want to win that gold medal, stand on the podium, and be a part of the Games Village, a great sporting event, and interact with so many athletes.
“As you get closer, I have no doubt that teams will be preparing and checking out facilities. They will take this seriously, and players will fight tooth and nail to be out there,” he added.
During the conversation at India House here, the legendary batsman was accompanied by ICC CEO Geoff Allardice.
“You grow up watching the Olympics, seeing Carl Lewis winning the gold medal, watching the great athletes perform. You always want to be part of great events like this. The environment, the energy — it’s a dream come true.”
Dravid wished for India to win gold in both the women’s and men’s divisions in the Los Angeles Games.
“The dream for me to have a fantastic cricket tournament, hopefully Indian men and women winning the gold which would be nice.
“But more than that I wish for everyone here… So many Indian fans would be able to come there to LA and support cricket, and show the rest of the world how big and great a sport cricket is,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play, but I will make every effort to be in LA in some capacity or another. If not anything else, I will try to get a media job,” joked Dravid, who ended his tenure as India head coach after the recent T20 World Cup triumph.
The men’s and women’s cricket competitions will run concurrently at the LA Olympics.
