The International Cricket Council has stepped up its campaign to include cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. It has proposed to send six women’s and men’s teams each to the organizing committee. A final decision regarding this will be taken in October this year, before that the organizers will prepare the final list of new games in March.
The next session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to be held in Mumbai. During that time a final decision regarding cricket in Olympics can be taken. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has been included in the ICC’s Olympic Working Group headed by ICC President Greg Barclay, which also includes Indira Nooyi (Independent Director) and Parag Marathe (Former USA Cricket President).
Moreover, Women’s cricket was also included in the latest edition Commonwealth Games hosted in Birmingham. A large number of spectators were seen during the matches.
Why did Jai Shah get the special responsibility?
There is a special strategy behind the inclusion of Jai Shah in the committee. Shah has been included keeping in mind India’s ambition to host the Olympics in 2036. According to the report, the ICC believes that Shah’s involvement could make an important and potentially influential thrust in its negotiations with the IOC to include cricket in the sport’s biggest global event.
Teams will be decided on the basis of ranking
As per the ICC’s proposal, the top six teams in both men’s and women’s categories by a certain date will be given a chance to play in the Olympics. In August last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) included cricket in the review sports. Baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, break dancing, karate, kick-boxing, squash and motorsport were also included.
Cricket has to meet many criteria
Cricket may appear in the Olympics after 128 years. The last time cricket was played at the Paris Olympics was in the year 1900. Then only the teams of Britain and host France played. To be included in the Olympics, cricket sport must meet certain criteria. The biggest thing in this is the reduction of cost and complexity. Apart from this, health of the players, global appeal, interest of the host country, gender equality, youth relevance and long-term sustainability are also looked into.