Usain Bolt dreams of Olympic return at LA28: This time with cricket bat and ball

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt has revealed his wish to return to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. This time, however, his ambition is not on the athletics track. Bolt wants to play cricket when the sport makes its long-awaited return to the Olympics after 128 years. The LA28 Games will run from 12 to 29 July 2028, and cricket will be one of the headline additions.

Cricket’s Olympic comeback has excited fans across the world, especially in traditional cricket nations. Bolt, who grew up in the cricket-loving Caribbean, says the sport was his first passion before sprinting changed his life. Now retired from professional athletics, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist has hinted that he would happily wear Jamaica’s colours again if given the chance.

Usain Bolt’s love for Cricket and his ambition to return to LA28 Olympics

Usain Bolt’s connection with cricket goes back to his school days in Jamaica. Before becoming the fastest man on earth, Bolt dreamed of being a fast bowler. His cricket coach later advised him to try track and field. That decision reshaped sporting history, but Bolt never lost his love for cricket.

Speaking to Esquire magazine, Bolt joked about a possible return to competitive sport. “I am happily retired from professional sport. I haven’t played cricket in a long time, but if they call, I will be ready! [Laughs],” Bolt told Esquire. His comments quickly caught attention as cricket prepares for its Olympic return.

Bolt retired from athletics in 2017 as the most celebrated sprinter of all time. He won eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championship gold medals. He famously completed the 100m and 200m sprint double at three straight Olympics. These came at Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016. He still holds the world records in the 100m and 200m, set in Berlin in 2009.

Bolt has stayed connected to cricket after retirement. He was the brand ambassador of the T20 World Cup 2024, which was hosted in the USA and West Indies. In 2014, he also played a friendly match in India with 2011 ODI World Cup winners Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh.

At the LA28 Olympics, six men’s and six women’s teams will compete in cricket. Each tournament will have 90 athlete slots. Squads can include up to 15 players. The women’s medal match is set for 20 July, while the men’s final will be on 29 July. Cricket last appeared at the Olympics in 1900, when Great Britain won gold against France in Paris.





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