Should cricket be included in the Olympics?
Opinion
The exclusion of cricket
Cricket is a sport that unites over a billion people in the Indian subcontinent and the commonwealth nations. Although cricket was once part of the 1900 Paris Olympics, it was competed only by two nations after which it lost steam. Its exclusion from the Olympics has only restricted its global reach with a lot of people even unaware of the sport's existence. So why is cricket not an Olympic sport?
IOC rules and regulations
According to the International Olympics Committee, for a sport to be included in the Olympics, it:
Must have an independent international governing federation
Must be played by men in at least 75 countries and on 4 continents and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on 3 continents
Must also increase the ‘‘value and appeal’’ of the Olympic Games and retain and reflect its modern traditions
Debate over the right format for Olympics
Historically, ICC has struggled with offering a practical format for the IOC to consider.
Test cricket takes five days to complete making it unfit for an event that lasts only 14 days. Moreover, ICC officially recognizes only 12 full member nations that are allowed to play test cricket, eliminating the format as per IOC’s qualification criteria. But T20, with its time-bound structure, has been a welcome change. Even Olympic giants such as China and Germany now have a ranked T20 team.
Politics: ICC vs BCCI
IOC has maintained that a bid by ICC will only culminate if the top players and top national boards ensure participation. Despite an active push by ICC and other national boards, the BCCI has for years been reluctant to promote cricket to be included in international sporting events. The BCCI didn't even bother to send a cricket team to compete in the 2014 Asian Games at Incheon, which many fans saw as a lost medal opportunity.
BCCI: Power and corruption
BCCI is among the highest revenue-generating and influential boards among the ICC full members. But in the last decade, BCCI has been marred with corruption allegations and power struggles. It has also had a tumultuous relationship with the ICC over revenue sharing disputes.
Moreover, the BCCI feared losing their precious autonomy in order to work with the Indian Olympic Association for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics.
New dawn: Lodha committee and change of guard at BCCI
After the Lodha Committee report in 2017, the BCCI was inducted under the Ministry of Youth Affairs bringing much-needed transparency and accountability to the Board.
Also, a change in the management lately has transformed BCCI’s take on the matter. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and General Secretary Jay Shah have openly committed to ICC’s vision of cricket at the Olympics and supported IOA financially in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics.
Positive future: Reinclusion in the Commonwealth and Asian Games
Having missed out on international sporting events for the last 7 years, ICC is finally moving to establish cricket as a highlight feature of the Olympic games.
The Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 will include Women’s T20 cricket and Team India has already qualified for the event
The Asian Games 2022 at Hangzhou, China will also feature T20 cricket as one of the 37 sports
ICC pushing for 2028 Olympics: Los Angeles
After failing to bid for cricket’s inclusion in the Paris 2024 games, ICC with USA Cricket’s support is actively seeking to include cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics games.
ICC’s Chair Greg Barclay recently had this to say: “Clearly cricket has a strong and passionate fanbase, particularly in South Asia where 92% of our fans come from whilst there are also 30 million cricket fans in the USA. The opportunity for those fans to see their heroes competing for an Olympic medal is tantalising.”
Author’s opinion
Despite some pundits being critical of T20 cricket and its effects on the quality of the sport, it is the only practical format for a multi-sport event. ICC’s promotion of Women’s cricket and the U-19 world cups, provide the foundational support for making the game more holistic and appealing to the IOC.
The Olympic games are possibly the biggest stage for athletes to compete and get recognition. Watching India win an Olympic Gold medal in Cricket has been a childhood dream of mine and BCCI’s change of stance on cricket’s Olympic inclusion is the most promising news. Cricket at the Olympics is an opportunity to make cricket a household name.
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