Cricket is set to make a comeback at the Olympic Games in 2028.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is open to work with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include cricket into the Youth Olympics in 2030, Cricbuzz reported.
This exciting prospect arises from the Government of India’s announcement last year, which revealed its plans to bid for the 2030 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Mumbai, in addition to the 2036 Olympics.
William Glenwright, the General Manager of Development at the ICC, received the proposal through an email by Vivek Gopalan. The suggestion was positively taken by Glenwright, who responded, “It’s a good idea and something we could look at.”
In order to make sure that important stakeholders were informed about the potential initiative, Gopalan and Glenwright’s email also went to Wasim Khan, Claire Furlong, Chris Tetley, and CEO of the ICC, Geoff Allardice.
Gopanal has contended that “There is a strong for cricket at Youth Olympic Games (YOG) with Mumbai bidding to host 2030 YOG.” He has also written to the ICC official, stating that “No less a person than Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now publicly proclaimed India’s desire to host both the 2030 YOG and 2036 Olympics.”
During his address at the IOC session in Mumbai last October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinted at India’s interest in hosting the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). However, the government’s focus has since shifted towards bidding for the 2036 Olympic Games—a priority the Prime Minister highlighted again during his Independence Day speech two days ago.
The email to the ICC official makes a compelling case for including cricket in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). It states, “All top sports, including Rugby Sevens, are part of the YOG. Why not Cricket? Including Cricket in the YOG would revolutionize grassroots cricket globally, especially among the ICC Associates.”
Talking about the age limited for participants in the YOG, it is between 15 and 18. The mail further notes, “Now that ICC has formed strong links with IOC and IOC recognizes that the “cricket brand ” can enhance the “Olympic Brand ” it would not be a difficult task to convince IOC to include Cricket as a core sport in the Youth Olympics.”
Notably, Cricket is set to make a comeback at the Olympic Games. The IOC has confirmed that the sport will be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, marking its first appearance since the 1900 Paris Games.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)