Los Angeles 2028: 'Always Want to be Part of Great Events' - Rahul Dravid on Cricket in LA Olympics

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Former Indian captain and T20 World Cup-winning head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday (July 28) said he has heard "serious dressing room conversations" from cricketers about competing in the Olympics after the sports inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.

Dravid is in Paris to attend a panel discussion on a theme titled 'Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era', celebrating the sport's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The 51-year-old Indian legend, who is an ardent supporter of cricket's inclusion in the Olympics, believes people will want to stand on the podium and be part of the Games Village alongside the athletes of many other sports.

"I've already heard a few conversations in the dressing room. People are talking about the 2026 T20 World Cup, there is an ODI World Cup in 2027, and you hear people saying there is the Olympics in 2028," Dravid said during the discussion.

"People are going to want to win that gold medal, stand on the podium, and be a part of the Games Village, a great sporting event, and interact with so many athletes."

Dravid also revealed that the anticipation will get even more higher as the event approaches closer and players will be keen to be part of the big global event.

"As you get closer, I have no doubt that teams will be preparing and checking out facilities. They will take this seriously, and players will fight tooth and nail to be out there," Dravid added.

The former Indian head coach, who was joined by ICC CEO Geoff Allardice during the discussion at India House in Paris, recalled his memories from Olympics and added that any athlete would like be part of this great event.

"You grow up watching the Olympics, seeing Carl Lewis winning the gold medal, watching the great athletes perform. You always want to be part of great events like this. The environment, the energy - it's a dream come true," Dravid said.

Dravid hoped that India would win both the men's and women's gold medals at the LA Games, but even more importantly he believes the sport would drive even more audience to the Games.

"The dream for me to have a fantastic cricket tournament, hopefully Indian men and women winning the gold which would be nice. But more than that I wish for everyone here," he said.

"So many Indian fans would be able to come there to LA and support cricket, and show the rest of the world how big and great a sport cricket is.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to play, but I will make every effort to be in LA in some capacity or another. If not anything else, I will try to get a media job," joked Dravid, who ended his tenure as India head coach after the recent T20 World Cup triumph.