When the interests of a diverse group of bodies align, and create a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We believe that our efforts to include cricket on the sports programme for Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) is one of these moments, and delivers a "win-win-win" for our sport and the Olympic Movement.

The onset of the Twenty20 (T20) format was certainly such an opportunity for cricket. In 2003, the first ever T20 matches were played in England, and the potential for the International Cricket Council (ICC) and our various stakeholders was clear. 

Four years later, the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup was held, and the format has boomed since. The Indian Premier League (IPL) now ranks as the second biggest sports league in the world by revenue per match at $13.4 million (£10.6 million/€12.1 million), behind only the National Football League. 

This year saw the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL), which has already become the second most valuable women’s sports league after the Women's National Basketball Association. It has been an enormous win for our sport - for the fans, for our member federations, and for the players.

For the Olympic Movement, a similar decisive opportunity came with the bidding process for hosting the 2024 Olympic Games. After the impressive candidatures of Paris and Los Angeles, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) proposed a double award, enabling both cities to host in 2024 and 2028 respectively. 

This created two deserving winners and strengthened the future of the Games for years to come. The decision was jointly described by IOC President Thomas Bach, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and French President Emmanuel Macron, as a "win-win-win" - for Paris, Los Angeles and the Olympic Movement.

As we look ahead, I now believe we now have the opportunity for another "win-win-win" - T20 cricket at the Olympic Games in LA in 2028. With the incredible breakthrough of T20, the unanimous support of our members, and our growing footprint in the United States - we see mutual benefits of including cricket at the Games, for our sport, for the Olympic Movement, and for LA28.

For cricket, the benefits of inclusion into LA28 are clear. Being part of the greatest event in the world will enable us to showcase cricket to new audiences, to attract new players and fans of all ages, and open new commercial opportunities, all while giving our star players the ultimate platform to shine. 

The United States in particular is a key pillar of our Global Growth Strategy, making this iteration of the Olympics - in LA - especially exciting for us.

For the IOC and the Olympic Movement, we believe that cricket is uniquely placed to help the Olympics further enhance its universality. Beyond the T20 format itself, which has shown itself to be easy-to-understand and engaging for new audiences, cricket has a fanbase of more than one billion people.

By indication, the ICC is the most followed and engaged International Federation on social media. But most exciting, perhaps, is that 92 per cent of our fans are from South Asia. India offers a huge potential growth region for the Olympics, and nothing provides the chance to connect with this sport-loving region like cricket. 

The rapid growth in popularity of the IPL and WPL, and their astonishing commercial value, provides just a glimpse of such potential.

But perhaps the biggest "winners", we believe, can be LA28 itself. With 30 million fans, the United States is already one of cricket’s biggest markets, and this is expected to grow rapidly over the coming decade. 

This year will see the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket, a T20 league which has already attracted some of the sport’s biggest stars to sign up. Next year, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be hosted in the United States, alongside the West Indies. 

Cricket at LA28 will be a defining moment for the Olympics and sport in the United States, helping to achieve the legacy that was such a compelling feature of LA’s candidature.

We have tremendous experience in delivering some of the most high-profile and engaging sports events in the world. As such, we’ve developed smart and reliable venue options, and an efficient competition proposal that will support the values of Olympism and LA28’s goal to deliver an event experience and legacy like no other. And we would be there as partners every step of the way.

"Win-win-win’s" do not come around often, especially in sport’s hyper-competitive environment. Now, we believe, is the time to seize the moment, and turn our collective ambitions into realities.