Rahul Dravid to Grace India House at Paris Olympics, Discuss Cricket's Olympic Debut

Rahul Dravid, the former head coach of the Indian cricket team, will grace the inaugural India House at the Paris Olympics. The event will feature a panel discussion titled "Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era," celebrating the inclusion of cricket in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The panel discussion will take place on the evening of July 28 at India House, located at Parc de Lavillette. India House, the country's first-ever dedicated space at the Olympics, is a collaborative effort between Reliance Foundation and the Indian Olympic Association.

Joining Dravid on the panel will be Geoff Allardice, CEO of the International Cricket Council, and Harsh Jain, CEO & Co-founder of Dream Sports.

Dravid, who recently led India to victory in the T20 World Cup as their coach, is widely regarded as one of the most respected and admired figures in the cricketing world.

Geoff Allardice said, as per a release by Dream Sports, "We continue to focus on the development of cricket across the world, bringing in more fans to the game, opportunities for players to compete at the highest level and now taking cricket to the Olympic stakeholders. The inclusion of cricket in the Olympics marks an important step and we look forward to Paris 2024, as an added impetus to the journey."

Speaking about the event, Harsh Jain said, "We are very excited to have the world's second-largest spectator sport finally included in the next Olympics. This is sure to take the Olympics' global viewership to an all-time high and encourage more countries to develop cricket programs, promoting the sport's growth and diversity."

The upcoming moderated panel discussion will feature distinguished panellists who will share their insights on various aspects of cricket's inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics programme. The panellists will explore the potential for cricket's growth and the opportunities it presents in both established and emerging markets.

Additionally, the discussion will focus on strategies to capitalize on the global enthusiasm of cricket fans. Cricket will be making its long-awaited return to the Olympics at the Los Angeles edition in 2028. Notably, the sport has only been featured in the Olympics once before, back in 1900.

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