Cricket set to be included in the Olympics for only the second time since 1900

There have been efforts by ICC to make Cricket an Olympic sport and there has been news on various occasions that the ICC is in talks with IOC to include the sport in the 2028 LA Olympics but everytime cricket’s governing body has failed to convince the Olympic committee to make cricket an Olympic sport.

Three years back there were efforts made by the ICC for the inclusion of Cricket in the Olympics but there were certain conditions that the ICC was not able to fulfill hence the dream of cricket becoming an Olympic sport was put on the back seat for a while.

Cricket’s Olympic Dream

Now it is being reported that cricket is all set to become a part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. According to The Times, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to deliberate on what new sports will be welcomed into the fold for the Los Angeles Games on Friday.  

The report claims that Men’s and Women’s T20 will make the cut making cricket an Olympic sport for only the second time since the 1900 Paris Olympics. IOC president Thomas Bach is reportedly a big fan of bringing cricket into the Olympics given the sport’s mass appeal in countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. 

The IOC president is so keen to bring Cricket into the Olympics because of the revenue the sport brings. The current proposal is for five teams in each competition with the qualification based on ICC rankings. According to the Guardian, the prospect is now “very likely” that men’s and women’s Twenty20 competitions – with gold medals at stake – will finally make the cut for Olympic inclusion, opening up a potentially lucrative commercial market in the Asian subcontinent.

The Obstacle

But amidst all the positive news there is one obstacle to cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics and that is the inclusion of flag football, a non-contact version of American football to the games as the authorities have said that they will only include cricket if flag football is also added.

Another interesting part is will England Ireland and the Netherlands play as Great Britain as the countries do in other Olympic sports. The same question arises for the West Indies because it is a group of Islands that play under the flag of the West Indies Cricket Board