From Duncan, United Kingdom
Some people got very excited with the opening of the Bejing Olympics, raising the prospect of Cricket (only just restored to the IOC) being part of a future Olympiad. with the advent of Twenty20 Cricket finally has a format that would slot into the games nicely. It would even seem to have the backing of IOC President Jacque Rogge. So wheres the problem?
Well it would seem there are quite a few. The first is the sheer amount of sports wanting to take part in the games, currently 28 in number, the backstage politicking to ensure that a particular sport takes part is immense and cricket isn't alone in wanting to part, Rugby Union (in its 7's format) and Golf will also be keen to have an Olympic future. If these sports come in who comes out, there simply isn't room for 40 or 50 sports. One of the benefits touted for cricket by its inclusion in the Olympics is that it will help to globalise the sport. But does Cricket actually want that? The ICC currently has around 100 members situated in every corner of the globe but only 10 seem to count and there are certainly times when it seems that that 10 would prefer the other 90 to go and play baseball.
In order for Cricket to make the Olympics it will have to bite the bullet and make serious development plans in both the associate nations and perhaps more importantly in the women's game, which the IOC would require as well. Cricket is to be included in the next Asian Games and is to return to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. I would like to believe that an Olympic Cricket event (men and woman)in 2020 is possible. If those games were in Delhi or Johannesberg even better, but the work both inside & outside the sport must start now.
Twenty/20 in 2020 would be quite fitting :)
But seriously, your comments about the ICC looking like it only wants to count it's members on it's fingers, and those 10 members being quite happy with that is not good enough. I think the prospect of the big 10 having to compete on an equal stage with "The rest" really doesn't sit well, and also (and unfortunately more importantly) with this being an IOC and NOT ICC event, the boards don't get their precious TV money.
Someone once wrote on an American cricket bulletin board "Cricket doesn't need the Olympics, the Olympics needs cricket" How very wrong.. Cricket need to expand itself globally and reach new audiences to stay competitive, and taking part in the world's biggest sporting showpiece would help introduce cricket into homes all over the globe. The ICC should have started on this when T/20 first became used.
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