The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed its bid for an Olympics slot in 2028.
The ICC’s plan to include cricket in the Olympics is taking shape, with a bid submitted. The governing body has created a Working Group that will oversee the bid on behalf of the cricketing fraternity. The emphasis will be to make sure cricket becomes a part of the Olympic Games in 2028, which will be held in Los Angeles.
Speaking about the bid, ICC chairman Greg Barclay said, “Firstly on behalf of everyone at the ICC, I would like to congratulate the IOC, Tokyo 2020 and the people of Japan for staging such an incredible Games in such difficult circumstances. It truly was fantastic to watch and captured the imagination of the world and we would love for cricket to be a part of future Games.
“Our sport is united behind this bid, and we see the Olympics as a part of cricket’s long-term future. We have more than a billion fans globally and almost 90% of them want to see cricket at the Olympics. Clearly cricket has a strong and passionate fan base, 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.
Exciting times ahead
“We believe cricket would be a great addition to the Olympic Games, but we know it won’t be easy to secure our inclusion as there are so many other great sports out there wanting to do the same. But we feel now is the time to put our best foot forward and show what a great partnership cricket and the Olympics could be,” he concluded.
Cricket at the Olympics could provide another layer of excitement to the game, and to its fans. The partnership with the Olympics will also give it more mainstream attention, in addition to the huge following it already has.
If the bid is successful, it will be a milestone for the sport. This kind of co-operation ensures sport as an institution is in safe hands.
Read more: Shane Warne: Age, height, weight and biography of the legendary bowler