The International Cricket Council (ICC) has welcomed the start of construction of the cricket stadium at Pomona in Los Angeles County, California, marking a major milestone as the sport prepares for its historic Olympic return at LA28 after 128 years.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on the Fairplex Grounds in Pomona on Wednesday, which ICC Chairman Mr. Jay Shah termed as a “major milestone” for the game and its 2.5 billion fans worldwide.

Mr. Jay Shah, ICC Chairman, said: “These are very exciting times for the game of cricket as it makes giant strides in establishing itself as a global sport. Our focus has been on expanding the footprint of cricket and being part of the Olympic movement is something that brings both pride and dreams with it.

“The groundbreaking marks an important milestone in cricket’s return to the Olympics and is a proud moment for all ICC Members and stakeholders worldwide. We’re confident this venue will take centre-stage during the Games and leave a legacy for cricket in the USA.”

ICC Chief Executive Mr. Sanjog Gupta, who attended the ground-breaking ceremony, said the world body remains focused on expanding cricket globally, with its return to the Olympics marking a significant step towards that goal.

Mr. Sanjog Gupta, ICC Chief Executive, said: “This is a ‘ground-breaking’ moment in cricket’s return to the Olympic Games, both for the sport and for the Olympic movement. The journey over the next two years will see many such milestones which enhance the sense of occasion, culture and community, as cricket’s home for LA28 is built in Pomona.

“With the inclusion in the Olympic Games and other regional multi-sport events, cricket has already stepped into a new era of global growth powered by improved accessibility, elevated visibility and stronger institutional support.

“The momentum for our game has never been stronger, demonstrated by the recent ICC events which saw record-breaking stadia attendance as well as broadcast and digital engagement, coupled with deep cultural and socio-economic impact. Strong participation growth across the world and recent “fan-first” efforts by the ICC to grow key markets will further bolster cricket’s march into the Olympics.”

The other dignitaries attending the ground-breaking event were LA28 Vice President of Sports Niccolò Campriani, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, Consul General of India in Los Angeles Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, Knight Riders Sports CEO Mr. Venky Mysore, and Fairplex President and CEO Walter Marquez.

The inclusion of cricket in LA28 is seen as a significant opportunity to expand the sport beyond its traditional strongholds and make a meaningful impact in the Americas. It also provides a platform to inspire more young people to take up the game and broaden the fan base across continents, accelerating cricket’s global growth.

Being part of the Olympic movement helps get more funding and support from many governments and the gap between traditionally strong teams and others has reduced considerably in recent years, especially in the T20I format, which will feature in the Olympics for both men’s and women’s competitions. (ICC)

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday it was reintroducing testing for gender to determine eligibility to compete in the female category, preventing transgender women from competing.

The screening will mean Olympic women’s sports from the 2028 Los Angeles Games will be limited to biological females, which would also rule out those with differences in sexual development (DSD) from competing.

In a major shift of policy, the IOC is abandoning rules it brought in in 2021, which allowed individual federations to decide their own policy and is instead implementing a policy across all sports.

“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one‑time SRY gene screening,” the IOC said in a statement.

They will be carried out through a saliva sample, cheek swab or blood sample.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry said: “The policy we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. At the Olympic Games even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat.

“So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

The new policy removes a potential source of conflict between the IOC and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Trump issued an executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports soon after he came to office.

While sports such as swimming, athletics, cycling and rowing have brought in bans, many others have permitted transgender women to compete in the female category if they lowered their testosterone levels, normally through taking a course of drugs.

The new ban will also cover athletes with DSD, the rare condition in which a person’s hormones, genes and reproductive organs may have a combination of male and female characteristics.

The best-known DSD athlete of recent years is South African runner Caster Semenya, the two-time Olympic women’s 800-meter champion who has male XY chromosomes.

Gender testing was first introduced at the 1968 Olympics and last used at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta but then scrapped.

The IOC is bringing in the new policy after the women’s boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics was rocked by a gender row involving Algerian fighter Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan.

Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests.

However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.

Both boxers went on to win gold medals.

Lin has since been cleared to compete in the female category at events run by World Boxing, the body that will oversee the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (AFP)

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A 44-year-old Slovak ice hockey fan’s love for the game appears to have led to his undoing after he was arrested by Italian police for an outstanding warrant.

Despite being wanted by Italian authorities, he returned to the country with the intention of watching his national hockey team at the Winter Olympics, Italian media reported, citing the Carabinieri.

Police said the Slovak national had an arrest warrant issued 16 years earlier for a series of thefts.

They managed to track him down and swooped on him after he checked into a guest house situated in the outskirts of Milan.

He was taken to the San Vittore prison to serve an 11 month and 7 day sentence for the thefts he committed in 2010, the Carabinieri said.

He didn’t manage to catch the game in which Slovakia’s hockey team handed Finland a sound 4-1 drubbing at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena. (DW)

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Cricket will officially return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, and the dates have been officially revealed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Following the announcement of the confirmed number of teams and the venue for LA28 back in April, the International Olympic Committee has announced that the T20 competitions for the men’s and women’s categories at LA28 will run from 12 July to 29 July 2028.

The medal matches will be held on 20 July (women’s) and 29 July (men’s) respectively.

The announcement marks another landmark moment for the sport, which will be making its second-ever Olympic appearance, 128 years after its debut in Paris 1900, when Great Britain claimed gold in a one-off match against France.

Six teams per gender will compete for medals, with 90 athlete quotas allotted for each tournament, allowing nations to name 15-member squads.

All matches will be staged at the Pomona Fairplex, about 50 km from downtown Los Angeles.

The format includes double-headers on most matchdays, with fixtures beginning at 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM local time.

The return of cricket to the Olympics signals another major step forward in the sport’s global expansion, and to celebrate the game on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages.

The mode of qualification for the LA28 Olympic Games is yet to be confirmed, but will likely be discussed during the ICC’s Annual Conference in Singapore starting on July 17. (ICC)

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Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne says 2028 will be the year for Sri Lankan sportspersons to aspire for the Olympics. 

Assuring that politics will be completely removed from sports, the Deputy Minister said plans to take all sports towards the Olympics will commence in the first week of January 2025. 

“We cannot let the country’s sports stagnate. Issues within sports associations will be resolved promptly,” he said. 

Calling on all to usher in a renaissance in sports, Sugath Thilakaratne said it was their responsibility to lead not only archery but all sports in the country towards international victories. 

“Let us make 2028 a year to aspire for the Olympics. Together, let’s make the vision of a prosperous and beautiful nation through sports a reality,” he added. 

Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne made the remarks while addressing the Fourth National Archery Championship held recently. (Newswire)

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India’s ace grappler Vinesh Phogat stood on the cusp of ultimate glory in the Paris Olympic Games but could now be disqualified from the competition entirely. 

Vinesh, who is competing in the 50kg freestyle wrestling category, is reportedly all set to be disqualified from the competition, having been weighed over the limit for her event. 

Vinesh usually competes in the 53kg category but brought her weight down to 50kg for the Paris Olympics. On Day 2 of her weigh-in, however, Vinesh was found weighing over the desired limit. 

Vinesh reportedly tried to do all she could to come under the desired weight, be it skipping meals, or running. She didn’t sleep the entire night, hoping to fall under the weight category. The Indian officials also asked the Olympic committee for more time but the efforts went in vain. 

Earlier, Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final of a wrestling event in Olympic Games. But, fate had something else in store for her. The Indian coach revealed that Vinesh was found overweight by just 100gm on Wednesday morning. Though the margin was small, the rules do not allow for an exception to be made. 

“She was found overweight by 100gm this morning. The rules do not allow this and she has been disqualified,” said an Indian coach.

As a result of Vinesh’s disqualification, she will not win any medal in the Paris Games. Though Vinesh was assured of a silver, her disqualification means that she would need to return home empty-handed. 

Vinesh’s first bout in the Paris Games was arguably the toughest one. She was pitted against Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki who had never lost a bout in her international career and also a four-time world Olympic champion. But then, Vinesh happened. 

It was Vinesh’s struggles off the field that helped her draw power and use a perfect game plan, stunned the reigning Olympic champion in one of the biggest upsets the Games have ever seen.

Vinesh next defeated Oksana Livach of Ukraine to secure a berth in the semi-finals of the women’s 50kg freestyle event. Tears of joy came down rolling her cheeks but the job wasn’t done yet. 

In the semifinals, Vinesh outmuscled Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez to confirm a medal and become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics.

But, on Tuesday morning, the dreams of Vinesh and those of 1.4 billion Indians, shattered. (NDTV)

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Sri Lankan middle-distance runner Tharushi Karunarathna’s Olympics track kit is set to be displayed in the International Olympics Committee Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The 19-year-old Sri Lankan track and field athlete has donated one of her competition kits used in the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics for this purpose. 

Issuing a statement, the National Olympics Committee of Sri Lanka said Karunarathna donated one of her competition kits to the International Olympics Committee (IOC) for display in the IOC Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The National Olympics Committee of Sri Lanka further said that the autographed kit was presented to Ms. Anne Jaccard, Senior Manager of Exhibits and Programs of the IOC Museum at the Games Village.

In recognition of this gesture, Tharushi will receive a certificate signed by the IOC President, it added.

Sri Lankan athlete Tharushi Karunaratne competed in the Women’s 800m event at the Paris Olympics, but her journey concluded after she finished 7th in Heat 4 of the Repechage round. 

The youngest athlete to represent Sri Lanka at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tharushi Karunarathna clocked a time of 2:06.66 in the Repechage round. (Newswire)

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Team Sri Lanka’s schedule for the preliminary rounds events of the 2024 Paris Olympics has been announced, with the first event commencing this Saturday (July 27). 

Viren Nettasinghe, who made history by becoming the youngest Sri Lankan to qualify for the Olympics directly, will open the preliminary rounds event of team Sri Lanka by competing in the Badminton Men’s Single. 

Following Nettasinghe, Sri Lankan swimmers Ganga Seneveratne and Kyle Abeysinghe will participate in the swimming events in the following week.

The track and field events have been scheduled for August in which middle-distance runner Tharushi Karunarathna, Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked athlete for the Paris Olympics Dilhani Lekamge, and Athlete Aruna Dharshana will participate. 

Team Sri Lanka’s preliminary rounds event schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics is as follows; 

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Sri Lankans are not exempted from the collective joy as a nation to witness Olympic Medalists from Sri Lanka and anxiously anticipate the moment when Sri Lankan champions triumph on the global stage, motivating all with their achievements.

After the qualification period, it was officially announced that six Sri Lankan athletes obtained their golden spots at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The team includes athletes competing in Badminton, Swimming, and Track and Field events. The Games will take place from 26  July to 11 August 2024.

Competitors who will participate in the Olympics are Viren Nettasinghe in Badminton Men’s Singles event, Ganga Senavirathne and Kyle Abeysinghe in Swimming for events of Women’s 100m Backstroke and Men’s 100m Freestyle respectively. Three Athletes in Athletics, Tharushi Karunarathne, Nadeesha Lekamge and Aruna Darshana will represent Sri Lanka in the Women’s 800m event, Women’s Javelin Throw and Men’s 400m event respectively. 

Viren Nettasinghe is currently 74th in the world and has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to compete in the Badminton Men’s Singles event. This achievement also marks him as the youngest individual on the list to secure a direct qualification for this Olympic Games. Ganga Senavirathne has earned her place with an achievement of 688 FINA points. Meanwhile, Kyle Abeysinghe qualified with an impressive 776 FINA points. Nadeesha Dilhani Lekamge stands as the highest-ranked Sri Lankan athlete on the Paris Olympic Games ranking list, ranking 25th among the top 32 qualifiers. Tharushi Karunarathne, clinched a gold medal in the 800m at the 19th Asian Games, is ranked 44th among the top 48, qualifiers. Aruna Darshana, ranked 47th among the top 48 is the only male track athlete participating in the Olympics this year and the first athlete from Sri Lanka to qualify for the Olympic 400m event after 20 years.

MAS Holdings serves as the Official Clothing Partner of National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka for Paris 2024, providing uniforms that include tracksuits, t-shirts, shorts, and caps for the team. LOVI Ceylon serves as the Official Opening Ceremony Attire Partner of Team Sri Lanka for Paris 2024. MoraSpirit is on board to provide media support to team Sri Lanka in partnership with the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka will be represented by the above six athletes, eight officials and a chef-de-mission. The opening ceremony of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad will begin at 19:30 Paris time on 26  July 2024. The flag bearers of Sri Lanka national flag at the opening ceremony shall be Nadeesha Lekamge and Viren Nettasinghe.

Chef de Mission of Team Sri Lanka, Mr. Chandana Liyanage said, “I am thrilled to lead our talented athletes to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This is a momentous occasion for our nation, showcasing our commitment to excellence in sports on the world stage. Our athletes have trained tirelessly, embodying the spirit of perseverance and dedication. We are confident in their ability to make Sri Lanka proud, inspiring future generations. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all supporters, coaches, and families who have contributed to this journey. Together, we aim for success and celebrate the unity and strength of Team Sri Lanka.” (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka has announced the opening of tickets for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Accordingly, tickets for the Paris Olympics can be reserved through the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka.

For details on ticket availability visit https://shorturl.at/P1Nz1. For more information, contact +94-11-268-4420 or email games@olympic.lk. 

Five Sri Lankan athletes have qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics. 

Middle-distance runner Tharushi Karunarathna and Javelin Thrower Dilhani Lekamge have qualified for the track and field events. 

Viren Nettasinghe will compete in the Badminton Men’s Single. Kyle Abeysinghe and Ganga Seneviratne will compete in the swimming events. 

Meanwhile, athletes Aruna Dharshana, Yupun Abeykoon, and Rumesh Tharanga are hopeful of qualifications depending on other withdrawals and personal achievements. (Newswire)

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Sri Lankan badminton sensation, Viren Nettasinghe, is set to compete in two key tournaments in the Northern Mariana Islands ahead of his participation in the Paris Olympics.

Nettasinghe, Sri Lanka’s top ranked shuttler who is currently placed 75th in the world, will take part in the Northern Marianas Open from July 2-7 and then the Saipan International Open Badminton Tournament 2024 from July 9-13. Both tournaments will be held in the picturesque town of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.

The two BWF Grade 3 International Challenge Tournaments, both offering a prize pool of $15,000 each, are expected to attract top talent from around the world. Sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Oceania, both tournaments are hosted by the Northern Marianas Badminton Association.

Nettasinghe, who recently made history by becoming the youngest Sri Lankan to directly qualify for the Olympics, is gearing up to showcase his skills on yet another prestigious international stage when he competes as the top seed in the men’s singles events at the Western Pasific nation.

The Northern Marianas Open will see the singles Round of 64 and the Round of 32 events taking place on July 2 and 3, while the Pre-quarter-finals will be held on July 4. The quarter-finals will take place on July 5, followed by the semi-finals next day, culminating in the gold medal matches on July 7.

Opening rounds of the Saipan International will take place on July 10, followed by the Round of 16 the next day. The Quarter-finals will take place on July 12, while the Semi-finals and Finals will be held on July 13.

Nettasinghe’s participation in the two tournaments in Saipan will provide him with the opportunity to further hone his skills and gain valuable experience against some of the world’s best players, serving as a critical preparation ground for the Lankan star as he sets his sights on the upcoming Paris Olympics which officially kicks off on July 26. (Newswire)

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Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunarathna’s chances of securing a berth at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, have been hindered due to the Sri Lanka Athletics officials failing to provide a suitable running track for the qualification event. 

Tharushi Karunarathna participated in the Women’s 800m event at the 102nd National Athletics Championship 2024 at Diyagama on Friday. 

The athlete who is vying for a spot in the Paris Olympics was forced to take part in her event on rain-hit and flooded running tracks. 

Despite her coach having requested the Sri Lanka Athletics officials to delay the event and clean the water from the first lane of the running track, which is important for the runners, the athletes were made to compete in unsuitable conditions. 

As a result, Tharushi Karunarathna who had trained for a time of 02:03:00 clocked in a time of 02:04:22 in the Women’s 800m event putting her chances of securing a spot in the Paris Olympics in jeopardy. 

According to Tharushi Karunarathna’s coach, if she had been able to contest under suitable conditions then the athlete would have increased her world rankings to 39 but had only reached 42nd rank due to the current situation.

The coach further pointed out that only 48 qualifications are allowed for the Women’s 800m event in the Paris Olympics, with the deadline for Olympic qualifications ending on June 30, 2024.

Tharushi Karunarathna’s coach states with two more days of competitions going on the world over, the Sri Lankan athlete may lose her opportunity to qualify for the Olympics, which could have been avoided if she was allowed to compete in suitable conditions in Diyagama. (Newswire)

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Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, the first person from Sri Lanka to reach the summit of Mount Everest, has come out on top as Asia’s Winner of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Champions Award for the year 2023.

Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala is a women’s rights activist with over 20 years of experience and a rock climber/mountaineer for nearly as long. Her dedication to education is evident through her academic achievements, including a postgraduate diploma in women’s studies and a Master of Arts degree in gender studies. Since her journey to Everest in 2016, she has been invited to deliver over 500 motivational speeches, to schools, universities, clubs, professional sports teams, associations, government and non-governmental organizations, corporate entities, as well as the military and police, in Sri Lanka and overseas. 

At each of these speaking engagements, while sharing her story of climbing Everest she draws out the gendered aspects of climbing Mount Everest and the need to challenge gender stereotypes and ensure gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

Together with two colleagues, Jayanthi co-founded Delete-Nothing, an online platform aiming to document instances of technology-related violence, particularly against girls, women, and queer and trans individuals in Sri Lanka. This initiative emphasizes the importance of recording such acts to facilitate further action. Jayanthi works as an independent consultant and she is currently the Gender and Human Rights Advisor at the Family Planning Association in Sri Lanka, working to address stigma and discrimination faced by people seeking HIV services. Notably, Jayanthi has been voluntarily conducting rock climbing workshops for women and girls over the past five years, which was a significant factor in her receiving this award.

Jayanthi was the inaugural Chairperson of the Complaints Committee of the SafeSport Policy in the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka and currently remains an active member of the Committee. Her expertise was recognized when she was invited as a panellist at the SafeSport event hosted by the Singapore NOC’s “Women in Sport Committee’s Webinar Series” in 2021. 

In March 2019, Jayanthi was selected by the Sri Lankan Parliament as one of the 12 “Women Change Makers of Sri Lanka” in the sports category, as part of a campaign initiated by the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender, and USAID’s Governance and Accountability Project.

Mr. Maxwell de Silva, the Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, extended his congratulations to Jayanthi on receiving this prestigious award. He said, “I’m personally happy that Jayanthi being the first Sri Lankan to conquer the Everest summit deserves this recognition from the IOC and made all of us proud.” He emphasized her dedication to advancing crucial principles within the realm of sports as a source of immense pride for Sri Lanka. Jayanthi’s unwavering commitment to breaking barriers and fostering inclusivity serves as an inspiration not only to athletes but to the entire nation. This recognition reaffirms collective efforts towards promoting equality and diversity in sports, and the NOC stands behind Jayanthi as she continues to make impactful contributions to this important cause on a global scale.

Jayanthi shared her feelings on the winning of the Award, “I’m honoured and humbled to receive this prestigious award. In order to ensure gender equality, diversity and inclusion, I believe that we all need to work together to challenge patriarchal stereotypes that prevent us from reaching our goals. For example, look at our public playgrounds and think about why we rarely see any girls playing sports in those spaces? How can we ensure that girls also have access to recreational sports? How much is being invested in women’s sports? Definitely not enough. So, let’s break these patriarchal norms and create new norms that are based on equality, dignity and respect for each other, regardless of who we are and where we come from.”

Katrina Adams, the former professional tennis player turned tennis executive from the USA, clinched the prestigious Global Award. Joining her in recognition are Irene Limika from Kenya for Africa, Marialoreto González Jaque from Chile for the Americas, Aurélie Bresson from France for Europe, and Patrick Johnson from Australia for Oceania, each honored with their Continental Awards. (NewsWire)

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American sprinter and long jumper Tori Bowie – a three-time Olympic medalist and a two-time world champion in track and field – has died, according to her agent, Kimberly Holland. Bowie was 32 years old.

Holland told CNN on Wednesday that Bowie was found dead at home in Florida and that the cause of death is not known yet.

“We’re devasted [sic] to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away,” an Instagram post from Bowie’s representation and Holland’s company, Icon Management Inc., said.

“We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister. Tori was a champion…a beacon of light that shined so bright! We’re truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family, friends and everyone that loved her.”

The post also added: “As the story continues to develop, we ask that you please respect our privacy.”

USA Track and Field said on Twitter that it was “deeply saddened” to hear of Bowie’s death, adding that her “impact on the sport is immeasurable.”

Bowie won three medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio: gold in the 4x100m relay, silver in the 100 meters and bronze in the 200 meters. At the 2017 world championships, she won gold in both the 100 meters and the 4x100m.

A native of Sandhill, Mississippi, Bowie was a three-time All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Bowie’s last official competition was June 2022. Her last appearance on the world stage was in 2019 at the world championships in Doha, when she finished fourth in the long jump.

In a statement to CNN, World Athletics (WA) said: “[Bowie] was a rare athletic talent who represented the United States in both sprints and jumps during her decorated career.

“A triple Olympic medallist in Rio in 2016, she reached the pinnacle of our sport when she won two gold medals, in the 100m and 4x100m relay, at the world championships in London a year later. We send heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and the USA track and field community at this difficult time.”

In response to a WA post on Instagram, Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said the news “breaks my heart,” while US long jumper and Mississippi native Brittney Reese said on Twitter: “You have made a lot of us proud thank you for representing our state of Mississippi like you did … RIP !” (CNN)

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