The World Cricket Committee at the historic Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has backed the inclusion of Twenty20 at the 2024 Olympic Games, believing it could act as the “pinnacle” of the format.
The Committee, which is part of the historic Marylebone Cricket Club and acts as a complementary, independent body to the International Cricket Council (ICC), concluded its latest two-day meeting in Auckland, New Zealand this week. The ICC has been taking tentative steps in exploring Twenty20’s place in major multi-sport events, and while the MCC Committee believes inclusion on the Olympic Programme could result in a short-term financial hit for the ICC it believes this would be outweighed by the potential long-term benefits for the growth of the sport.
The MCC said in a statement: “The MCC World Cricket committee appreciates that a great deal of effort may be needed to lobby for the inclusion of cricket in the Olympic Games of 2024. The committee accepts that, were cricket to be played in the Olympics, there would be a short-term loss in income for the ICC, and therefore for dispersion to its members, but is impressed with the potential boost for the game worldwide if cricket were to be included. Furthermore, the committee advocates Twenty20 cricket as the format to be played at the Olympics, thereby providing the ‘pinnacle’ of that form of the sport.”
The ICC received full Olympic recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February 2010, the first step towards cricket’s possible inclusion in the Olympic Games. However, its earliest opportunity would be the 2024 Games with baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding, wrestling and wushu all currently vying for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic programme as an additional sport.
By Matt Cutler
Source: www.sportbusiness.com