Virat Kohli: The International Olympic Committee has formally authorised men’s and women’s T20 competitions for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, bringing cricket back to the Olympics after its tremendous performance at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
Virat Kohli’s Social Media Influence and Global Appeal Key Factors
Niccolo Campriani, the head of the LA Local Organising Committee (LALOC), emphasised that cricket has been absent for a very long time—its previous participation was in 1900—and noted the sport’s rising recognition in the United States. Numerous variables, notably the approaching T20 World Cup and the first season of Major League Cricket, affected this choice, but Virat Kohli‘s influence stood out. In May, Kohli, a global cricket ambassador, accomplished a significant feat by becoming the first Indian to accumulate 250 million Instagram followers. In terms of Instagram followers, he comes in third overall, after football greats Lionel Messi (464 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo (585 million).
Cricket’s Global Appeal
Cricket is extremely popular all across the world, as noted by prominent sports entrepreneur and investor Joe Pompliano on an episode of “The Joc Pomp Show.” Pompliano claims that with astonishing 2.5 billion fans worldwide, cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, just after football. Kohli has a sizable Instagram following, which highlights his extraordinary influence. He outperforms some of the most well-known sportsmen in the world, including Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Shohei Ohtani, and Patrick Mahomes put together.
Virat Kohli’s Digital Impact
Campriani recognised Kohli’s extensive effect. He said, “We all recognize the critical importance of a strong digital presence in order to keep the games relevant for the youth. And cricket is offering a unique platform to do so. Think about my friend here, Virat. He’s the third-most followed athlete in the world on social media with 314 million followers. That’s more than LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods combined. This is the ultimate win-win for LA 28.”
Pak Media Acknowledges Virat Kohli’s Global Popularity
On This Pakistan media reacts stating that, “If you are watching us from India then you should be proud that you have a player like Virat Kohli. Cricket teams of all countries wish that a player like Virat Kohli was born in our country. Even the global head is saying that we have taken this decision because of Virat Kohli. You see that Olympic is saying that brother, I want to use your popularity.”
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