Why compound archery missed out when new sports were recommended for Los Angeles Olympics 2028

India's compound archers had won seven medals at the Asian Games but the sport won't be at the Olympics; Recurve archery is already in the fold; IOC’s sports director, Kit McConnell said it was ‘really about the costing complexity’.

India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam competes in the Compound Women’s Individual Gold Medal event at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (PTI Photo)

India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam is one of India's top stars in compound archery. She won three golds medals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. (PTI Photo)

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Mumbai: India’s compound archers, fresh from a clean sweep of gold medals at the recently concluded Asian Games and bagging seven in all, were hoping for the format’s inclusion at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. However, the proposal wasn’t accepted by the International Olympic Committee. Cricket, squash, flag football, baseball and lacrosse were recommended by the executive board of the IOC in Mumbai on Friday.

IOC president Thomas Bach said they received requests from different international federations to add 16 new disciplines to the LA sports programme. These disciplines, he added, were evaluated on three criteria: whether they require a new venue, if they need an additional quota of players and whether they would replace an existing discipline.

Although compound archery could be held at the same venue, it would be a new discipline since the world governing body is keen to keep the recurve format in the programme. That would have led to a rise in the total number of athletes, which the IOC wasn’t willing for.

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As IOC’s sports director, Kit McConnell said it was ‘really about the costing complexity’.

Meanwhile, cricket is set to be a six-team T20 event, with the USA likely to get a direct berth on the virtue of being hosts. This would leave just five spots for other teams from around the world to vie for. The qualification process will be announced at a later date, the IOC said.

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Adding another twist to the qualification pathway in cricket, the West Indies won’t compete at the Olympics as one combined team representing the Caribbean.

Instead, each of the six cricket associations – Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands – will be in contention to represent the region at the Games. This is because of the Olympics rules wherein each country requires an independent representation.