Cricket is certainly one of the most popular sports of the world but it is also true that there are still many countries where cricket is not given much importance. The biggest reason for cricket not being played in majority of the nations of the globe is that it is not included in major sporting events such as Olympics. The “Gentleman’s Game” has not been included in the Olympics since 1900 despite the fact that many attempts have been made in order to include it in the sporting event.
Recently, the CEO of ICC, Geoff Allardice gave an interview in the SEN Radio show “This Is Your Journey thanks to Tobin Brothers” and he also spoke about the need and benefits of including cricket in the Olympics. He said that the intention of including cricket in the Olympics is not at all related to monetary gains but for increasing the reach of cricket in non-cricketing nations.
He further said that once cricket is seen as an Olympics sport, its association with the government and the national Olympics movement will be highly beneficial for the 106 members in regard to assistance in performance enhancement and facilities.
The men’s cricket has already got featured in 1998 Commonwealth Games which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the good news is that the Women’s T20 cricket will get featured in the 2022 Commonwealth Games which will take place between 28 July and 8 August in Birmingham, England.
As per the reports, ICC will bid for featuring cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles, 2032 Brisbane Olympics and further as well. The next Olympics is going to take place in 2024 in Paris from 26th July to 11th August.
The biggest reason of cricket not getting included in the Olympics is the fact that it is a long duration game in comparison to other games which take very less time. Well there is no denying the fact that the timing has reduced considerably with the advent of T20 cricket but still it is a time taking sport in comparison to other games.
Should cricket be included in the Olympics? What do you think? Let us know your opinion.
