ICC gives massive hint about adding cricket to the Olympics; more details revealed

Although the Olympic Games is the biggest sporting event in the world, cricket has been excluded from the marquee event for the longest time. The only time cricket featured in the games was way back in the 1900 Summer Olympic Games with only a men's contest. However, the likes of BCCI and ECB, cricket's two strongest bodies, have shown a renewed commitment to exploring ways to make it happen.

BCCI and ECB the reason why cricket was not included in the Olympic Games earlier

Cricket's return to the Olympic Games is moving closer as the ICC is planning to do so using the T10 format. Over the past weeks, ICC has scheduled various meetings with the BCCI and the ECB to decide on a new calendar from 2023 onwards. While both the BCCI and the ECB have historically had reservations about the sport's involvement in the games, the ECB have reportedly raised the subject in their last meeting with the ICC's chief executive committee, and the idea was generally well-received.

The ICC meeting was followed up by a meeting of the Apex Council of the BCCI, led by president Sourav Ganguly, which also gave conditional support to cricket's inclusion in the Olympic Games. The BCCI have long been reluctant for the involvement of cricket in the Olympics as they are afraid they will be forced to cede any authority of the sport to the Indian Olympic Association. However, at this stage, the BCCI are confident their power will not be diluted.

ICC says cricket can return to Olympic Games with the T10 format

While the Olympics format is yet to be decided, the ICC's chief executives' committee is set to meet again in a couple of weeks and are likely to set up a working party to explore the options. There is believed to be growing support for the T10 version since the Olympic Games requires any sporting competition to be completed within a two-week timeframe. Moreover, with the ICC having a desire to use this event to spread the growth of the game globally, the shorter format seems the only feasible option.

However, making a decision about the format is far from easy considering the various aspects that need to be considered. On the one hand, a T10 game will allow more teams to compete since each game takes around 90 minutes. But on the other hand, a fourth international format could dilute the long term value of the other formats, especially the T20 leagues which have received great popularity over the past few years.

Can the ICC use the Abu Dhabi T10 model to bring cricket back to the Olympic Games?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires any sport competing within the games to use a format recognized at the international level. While there are currently no ICC-organized global T10 events, the ICC does sanction the playing of the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament (Note: this only applies to the specific tournament, not the format). Hence, it remains to be seen whether ICC does indeed sanction the T10 as an official format before they can hold discussions to include cricket in the Olympic Games.

Why will the inclusion of cricket in the Olympic Games be a major boost for the sport?

The earliest possible date for cricket's inclusion in the Olympics Games would be the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, but the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane seems to be a more realistic target. Speaking about how the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics could help the sport, an ECB spokesperson said, "We want to help grow the game globally and believe cricket's inclusion within the Olympic Games would provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase our sport domestically and take it to new audiences around the world. The ECB will enthusiastically support efforts to secure this outcome." Cricket's inclusion in the Olympics would also open up avenues of funding to nearly all ICC nations from their respective governments, which will be another boost for cricketing nations.

ICC considers increasing T20 World Cup to 20 teams to increase the global popularity of the sport

As per the latest reports, the T20 World Cup could be increased to include 20 teams as a part of the ICC's attempts to make cricket a global sport and the decision could well involve BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly's consent. However, the T20 World Cup 2021, which is currently scheduled in India, will still feature 16 teams. The ICC for long has considered the T20 format as the vehicle for the game's expansion and there have been various talks before of such an expansion.

Moreover, the ICC have already confirmed their plans to increase the number of teams in the women's competitions. If increasing the teams to a total of 20 is indeed successful in the T20 World Cup, ICC could also consider using the same proposition to convince the IOC to include cricket in the future Olympic Games.