There could be debates on whether cricket is good enough to be a part of a multi-sporting event, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) is taking steps to include the game in the Olympics.
After the five-day meeting of the council in Kolkata, the ICC CEO, Dave Richardson, sounded confident of fielding cricket in the Olympics in 2028. “If we can get all of cricket united in a desire to be a part of Olympics, I think we have a good chance of persuading International Olympic Committee that cricket is a sport that can add value to the Olympics,” Richardson said.
The deadline for submitting bids to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the inclusion of new sports at the 2024 Games is over and Richardson is confident of the game’s inclusion at Los Angeles 2028.
“It is going to take a bit of time. The 2024 Olympics will be in Paris and 2028 in Los Angeles. We have already missed the deadline to apply to IOC through the front door to get the right to participate (in 2024 Olympics),” he said.
“We cannot go to Paris. But we have continued our talks with IOC and with LA. Hopefully by 2028 we will have cricket in the Olympics,” Richardson, a former South Africa cricketer, said.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), however, is reluctant on the game’s inclusion in the Olympics as that would mean the process would go under the aegis of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), resulting in the loss of its autonomy.
Richardson, however, appears confident of a breakthrough. “We still have to resolve an issue between the BCCI and the IOA,” Richardson said.
The BCCI officials have maintained that they would only think of it if the ‘need arises’. "It’s too early to talk about anything. Let there be a formal proposal, then we will talk over it,” a senior BCCI official told Sportstar .
With the ICC giving a green light, cricket’s chances of turning into an Olympic sport just got brighter.
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