The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed its commitment to campaign for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympic Games in the future on Tuesday, announcing the start of preparations for a bid on behalf of the sport, with the Los Angeles 2028 Games as the primary aim. The ICC has put together a working committee to lead the bid, according to the apex body. According to Cricket World, the United States has 30 million cricket enthusiasts, making LA 2028 the ideal Games for cricket to return to the Olympics.
Cricket has only appeared in the Olympics once before, in 1900 in Paris, when just two teams competed — Great Britain and the hosts France — implying that its inclusion in 2028 would bring the sport’s 128-year absence to an end.
The inclusion of cricket in the Olympic Games, according to ICC Chair Greg Barclay, would benefit both the sport and the Games themselves.
“First and foremost, on behalf of everyone at the ICC, I’d want to congratulate the IOC, Tokyo 2020, and the people of Japan on holding such a fantastic Games under such tough conditions.” It was simply incredible to witness and captivated the world’s attention, and we hope that cricket will be included in future Olympic Games “According to an ICC press statement, Barclay stated.
“This candidacy has the support of our entire sport, and we see the Olympics as an important component of cricket’s long-term future. We have over a billion supporters throughout the world, and about 90% of them want to see cricket at the Olympics.” Cricket clearly has a large and devoted fan base, particularly in South Asia, where 92 percent of our supporters are from, and in the United States, where there are 30 million cricket enthusiasts. For such fans, the prospect of seeing their heroes compete for an Olympic medal is tantalising “Added he.
“We believe cricket would be a fantastic addition to the Olympic Games, but we recognise that securing our participation will be difficult given the number of other wonderful sports vying for the same spot. However, we believe that now is the time to put our best foot forward and demonstrate what a fantastic combination cricket and the Olympics can be “Barclay expressed his opinion.
Next year, the sport will be featured in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will serve as both a showcase for what the sport can bring to the Olympics and a historic event in its own right.
England and Wales Cricket Board Chair Ian Watmore will lead the ICC Olympic Working Group.
Indra Nooyi, ICC Independent Director, Tavengwa Mukuhlani, ICC Associate Member Director and Vice President of the Asian Cricket Council Mahinda Vallipuram, and Parag Marathe, Chair of USA Cricket, will accompany him.
Marathe believes that the moment has come for cricket to make its long-awaited return to the Olympics, and that its presence in the showpiece event will help the sport thrive in the United States.
“USA Cricket is ecstatic to be able to support cricket’s candidacy for Olympic inclusion, which coincides well with our ongoing objectives to expand the sport in the United States,” he said.
“With so many passionate cricket fans and players already in the United States, as well as a huge global audience and following for the sport around the world, we believe that cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will add great value to the Games and help us achieve our own vision of establishing cricket as a mainstream sport in this country.”
