The sport of cricket is currently on a trajectory aimed at getting the sport onto the sports programme of the Summer Olympics. Indeed, the leadership of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is intent on having the sport included in the Summer Olympics of 2028, scheduled for the American city of Los Angeles.

While many may be surprised by the expanded ambitions of the ICC, the reality is that cricket was included in the Summer Olympics of 1900 which took place in London, England. Since then, there appeared to have been little interest in having the sport included in the Games’ programme.

Over the past several years, the flagship of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Games, have grown into the world’s biggest sporting spectacle. Many international sport federations (IF) have grown eager to get onto the sports programme of the Games, to be part of the ‘big show’. Cricket now wants to be in the Olympics and cricketing nations around the world are being canvassed to add their voices.

Cricket was on the Commonwealth Games programme when Kuala Lumpur hosted the multi-sport event in 1988, for men only, using the One-Day format. However, it was not until last year, when Birmingham, England, was the Games’ host that the sport was again included, using the T20 format and for women only. The hope is that the ICC could eventually convince the Commonwealth Games Federation to include the short version, T20, for men and women.

Interesting developments

While some cricketing nations have long had an interest in getting the sport onto the Olympic Games’ sport programme, there was not a strong enough commitment by the entire cricket fraternity to support this. In any event, the IOC did not seem interested in engaging more team sports while trying to limit the number of athletes at any edition of the Summer Olympics. Times have since changed and so too the IOC’s approach to their Games, especially given the changing dynamics of international sport, the fast-paced changes in digital communications technology applicable to sport and the interests of young people around the world.

The IOC has also taken on board a new perspective that allows host cities of the Olympic Games the option of adding to the sport programme, a limited number of sports that have immense appeal for the local population, that may otherwise not have been included. So it was that the organising committee of the Tokyo Summer Olympics which, due to covid, were held in 2021 instead of 2020, included Baseball/Softball.

Softball was included in the Summer Olympics of 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and stayed on the programme until it was removed after the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, in 2008.

Baseball was included in the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain in 1992 and stayed until it was officially removed from the Games programme following the Games of 2008.

In an attempt to get back onto the sports programme of the Summer Olympics Baseball and Softball forged a single international federation instead of two separate entities. This did not change the stance of the IOC that the joint sport, Baseball/Softball, be returned to the sports programme.

While the Japanese added the sport to the Games of 2021, it has not been included in the programme for Paris 2024 but is expected to feature as one of the additional sports in Los Angles 2028.

 

The ICC’s Campaign

In 2021, the ICC established an Olympic Working Group aimed at examining whether or not it is possible to create an approach to the IOC regarding the viability of the sport for the changing Summer Olympics.

The primary target at this stage is getting cricket onto the programme of the Olympic Games scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028 and being sufficiently impressive and appealing, globally, to become a fixture on the sports programme for the future.

In 2021, the ICC announced its Global Growth strategy, in which it identified “six (6) key strategic priorities, one of which was the Olympics and the aim to become an Olympic sport in 2028 and 2032”.

The ICC is of the view that the inclusion of cricket on the Olympic programme will yield immeasurable benefits to both the sport and the international Olympic Movement. Given that the Olympic Games offer perhaps the world’s biggest sport stage, getting on board will allow for many more people around the world to know the sport and so interest would be stimulated.

The immense growth and continuing expansion of the incomparable Indian Premier League and the level of interest, appeal and engagement that it has spawned in an ever-increasing number of countries.

Like most sports, cricket is seeking to sustain mass appeal as well as expand its development pathway to convince the Olympic fraternity that it would be a worthwhile investment to have the sport included on the sports programme in a permanent way.

As far as the ICC is concerned, the increased interest shown in the shorter version of the game could prove its best chance of getting onto the sport programme of the Summer Olympics.

The Caribbean’s support

Like other regions of the ICC, the West Indies is expected to lend its support to the strategic advocacy being undertaken by its international parent body. But there is also great importance in having other regional sports organisations join the list of supporters for the sport’s inclusion on the Olympic programme.

The president of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC), the author of this Column, has given his organisation’s support to the cause. The commitment reads,

“The sport of Cricket  is intricately interwoven into the  historical and socio-cultural fabric of what is now popularly known globally as  “Caribbean Culture.” Many renowned scholars and sports journalists worldwide have attested that the Caribbean people’s approach to cricket led to the establishment of a regionally unified  West Indies Cricket Team.  This team has been and is referred to as the embodiment of our collective aspirations, hopes, and dreams, being one of the finest examples of regional integration, collaboration, and cohesiveness demonstrated through sport in any part of the world.

“Whatever our fortunes in cricket contests anywhere in the world, the peoples of the Caribbean and our global diaspora remain insistent that the West Indies Cricket team is truly representative of us and stands for us. The region has produced outstanding players in every aspect of the game and, at times, rising to the top of the sport, proving ourselves extraordinarily talented and capable of achieving monumental success against other highly legitimate world-class opponents.

“The Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC), which I have the pleasure and responsibility to lead at this juncture, is well aware of the fact that the sport of Cricket was once considered sufficiently entertaining and in sync with the ideals of the founders of the  Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Cricket was included in the second edition of the Olympic Games Sports Programme, held in 1900 in London, England, but unfortunately, it was not included since.

“The Olympic Games support a transformative and agile model of change and evolution. The IOC continues to seek to keep pace with dynamic changes in society and, more particularly, those that are driven by emerging young generations. There is a drive to maintain excitement, entertainment and relevance while maintaining a system of values that positively impact the youth and our global future. In its responsiveness to contemporary youth, this is why Cricket has so modified itself that it deems it appropriate at this juncture to re-enter the sports programme of the Summer Olympics and that Los Angeles 2028 offers a most excellent opportunity to do so in style.

“On behalf of the Caribbean Association of the National Olympic Committee, I am delighted to share our full support to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) campaign to include cricket in the Olympic Games Sports Programme for Los Angeles 2028.

We strongly believe the sport’s inclusion in the programme will have far-reaching impacts on the development of sport, youth and peaceful communities in our region. Furthermore, cricket is growing globally, attracting higher interest and strengthening its popularity and commercial position across many media platforms.

“The T20 format, in particular, has offered distinct appeal and attraction for both men and women. The competition format is compact and exciting and provides quick results in a relatively short time, which are all ideal for a multi-sport games tournament focused on innovation, entertainment and universal engagement promoting peace and solidarity.

While the Caribbean and the United States will jointly host the world’s best in the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, the foundation will be set for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympic Games Sports Programme and the plethora of global benefits, prestige and impact for LA28 and the Olympic Movement more broadly. This sport promises to attract over one billion cricket fans to the Olympic Games, open up new sporting and commercial markets worldwide, introduce new Olympic traditions in new regions, and elevate new nations onto the medal table. Simply put, cricket promises an incredible expansion of the reach of Olympism and Olympic Values.”

Getting on board

While we may have our personal feelings towards the fortunes of the West Indies team we ought not to allow this to deter us from lending our support for the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics.

Since the Olympics are about national teams, entry of the sport onto the sports programme would mean that there can be no West Indies team. There can only be national teams. This opens opportunities for the several Caribbean island nations with National Olympic Committees to contest for places in accordance with the qualification system in place.

Individual country representation will also generate greater interest in the sport amongst the youths of the Caribbean who may not otherwise get to the Olympics as competitors.

The sport does need a fresh injection of interest and it is the hope of many that this may be one of the main features of the work being undertaken under the new president of Cricket West Indies, Vincentian, Kishore Shallow. For us from the Caribbean, cricket is a sport that we used to facilitate political transformation of our respective countries. We have been engaged in ‘Liberation Cricket’, as Beckles and Stoddard have titled one of the masterpiece of written history of our Caribbean peoples.
Let us now move onto the next chapter in our utilisation of cricket for elevating our people even higher on the totem pole.