Cricket is approaching an Olympic comeback, some 128 years after its last appearance, in a climate of growing confidence regarding its inclusion in the Games in Los Angeles and beyond.
Sources told the Guardian that the prospect is now “very likely” that 20–year–old competitions for men and women – with gold medals at stake-will finally make the cut for Olympic inclusion, opening up a potentially lucrative trading market in the Asian subcontinent.
The current proposal involves five teams in each competition, with qualification based on the International Cricket Council’s world rankings. This would be the first Olympic cricket since a one-off gold medal match at the 1900 Paris Games.
It would also achieve a long-term goal for the ICC, as indifference to the Olympics in the past has been replaced by a desire to expand the sport globally in recent years, culminating in a T20 women’s tournament at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
There is also a strong financial incentive for the international Olympic Committee, which has made cricket one of nine shortlisted sports for the along with baseball/softball, flag football, LaCrosse, breakdancing, karate, kickboxing, squash and motorsport.
The current Olympic broadcast rights in India are being sold for individual Games and would be worth only for Paris. However, industry experts told the Guardian that depending on the format and the number of guaranteed matches for India, this figure could be worth if cricket is in and then Brisbane.
Trade agreements are considered the only realistic stumbling block. However, this means that hosting the men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA next June is absolutely necessary, as it could be moved to England due to concerns about infrastructure in the USA, according to recent reports; reports that continue to be downplayed by the ICC and the Cricket Council of England and Wales.
If cricket were to pass the Cup in Los Angeles – a decision expected before the end of the year- England would compete as the GB team. For the Commonwealth Games, West Indies qualified through the rankings and were represented by Barbados after completing a regional qualification.
The sport would continue its progress in the US as well, with Major League Cricket – a franchise of 20 leagues with international players – nearing the conclusion of its inaugural season.
