ICC confirms to bid for inclusion of Cricket in 2028 Olympics

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday confirmed its intention to bid for the game’s inclusion in the Olympics as it has convened a Working Group to lead the bid on behalf of the sport which will be focused on cricket becoming part of LA 2028, Brisbane 2032 and further.

The development also has the support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which, in April, endorsed the ICC’s Olympic plan.

Commenting on the move, 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 per cent 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.

“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.”

Said Marathe, “USA Cricket is thrilled to be able to support cricket’s bid for inclusion in the Olympics, the timing of which aligns perfectly with our continuing plans to develop the sport in the USA. With so many passionate cricket fans and players already in the USA, and a huge global audience and following for the sport around the world, we believe that cricket’s inclusion will add great value to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and help us to achieve our own vision for establishing cricket as a mainstream sport in this country.”

News Desk

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