Cricket’s inclusion in the Olympic Games: What’s the catch?
Flag football, lacrosse, baseball/softball, squash, and cricket – among these new entrants into the Olympic program for the 2028 LA Games, and ideally beyond, T20 cricket is an intriguing selection. After all, the organising committee – host city Los Angeles in this case – recommends sports for inclusion, which is then put to a vote and approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The United States’ interest in flag football – which could very well see certain NFL stars compete in LA – and baseball/softball is no mystery. Meanwhile, lacrosse is recognised as one of the fastest growing sports across America. Squash, another global sport (certainly more global than cricket in terms of global participation) has been close to Olympic inclusion for a long time. That brings us to cricket.
Granted, T20 cricket is certainly a fast growing sport across North America. The advent of the franchise-based T20 tournament Major League Cricket (MLC) and the US winning co-hosting rights to the 2024 T20 World Cup has helped greatly. But there is a long way to go.
India face the West Indies in a T20I match in Lauderhill, Florida
Let’s also take a look at one of the sports cricket beat out of the nine-sport shortlist before the final five were selected – motorsport. Formula 1 has seen almost astronomical growth in viewership and interest in the US since the 2021 season, due to the popularity of the Netflix series Drive to Survive. F1 specifically was not certain to be at the heart of FIA’s Olympic bid, but motorsport had a strong case for Olympic inclusion. So why did cricket get the nod?
Cricket’s financial viability
There are more factors that go into a successful bid, and the potential riches that a sport’s inclusion can bring the IOC is a big factor. As per estimates, the broadcast rights value for the LA Games are expected to rise tenfold to around £220 million in Asia alone, due to cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics. While LA saw the glaring positives of cricket’s inclusion, the IOC President Thomas Bach, is admittedly a fan and recently called the sport’s Olympic entry “very attractive for the Olympic movement” (per the Guardian). Now, the bigger picture.
For years, the ICC seemed disinterested in making a serious push for Olympic inclusion; hesitation from India and England was central to that reluctance. But with the BCCI’s stance changing, driven mainly by BCCI secretary Jay Shah who also joined the ICC’s Olympic bid team earlier this year, cricket got the backing it needed from its most powerful and influential board.
Cricket’s addition to the Olympic program is undoubtedly a very crucial development in India’s bid to host the 2036 Games, which was officially announced by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during the IOC session in Mumbai a few days ago. The announcement came on the evening Ahmedabad played hosts to India’s ODI World Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan, that saw a 130,000-capacity stadium packed to its limit, and broke viewership records as well. In other words, one of the biggest spectacles in the sporting world.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosts the India vs Pakistan 2023 ODI World Cup match.
Ahmedabad is also the designated host city for India’s hosting bid as confirmed by the state election manifesto of ruling party BJP, of which India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, father of Jay Shah, is a central figure.
For the Indian people to fully get behind the 2036 Olympics dream, cricket’s influence will play a key role. India would want to leave no stone unturned in hosting a successful Olympic Games. Rightly so, as that certainly helps further the country’s aim to gain a larger global footprint. Cricket is vital to that goal. Imagine the Indian team going for Olympic gold in front of 130,000 people in Ahmedabad in the showpiece event of the 2036 Games. The financial viability and global interest it could carry would be immense.
Star power and a bright future
It is worth noting that Virat Kohli’s social media following, which is more than LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Tom Brady combined, was highlighted by LA 2028 Sporting Director Niccolò Campriani to vouch for cricket’s inclusion in the Games, during the IOC session in Mumbai.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli
LA is expected to be only a 6-team tournament in both the men’s and women’s events. But cricket should retain its place for Brisbane 2032 given Australia’s interest in the sport. By 2036, provided India wins the bid, the organisers would also have enough time to learn from the mistakes from LA and Brisbane, fix the chinks in the armour, and potentially host a much bigger event.
Whatever the reason, be it the financial potential or the political interest playing the biggest role in cricket’s Olympic inclusion, it is a win-win for everyone involved. Most importantly, for the Olympic movement and the sport itself.
