Cricket gets Olympic boost
Cricket may be set to return to the Olympics after a gap of more than 100 years.
The sport has been welcomed back into the Olympic Movement by the International Olympic Committee, having been absent from the Games since the Paris Olympics of 1900.
The move will enhance cricket’s profile around the world, and paves the way for it to become an Olympic sport once more.
The news was welcomed by the International Cricket Council, which will now work more closely with the IOC.
“This is great news for cricket,” said ICC president Ray Mali. “The Olympic Movement is instantly recognisable around the world and for cricket to be a part of that again has to be a good thing.
“Cricket last featured in the Olympic Games in 1900. Maybe one day it will be right for cricket to return to the Olympic programme.
“The ICC and IOC share similar values, such as a spirit of fair play in a competitive but ultimately friendly environment.
“Cricket – like all sports – should be played hard but fair and I think the special atmosphere that surrounds the Olympic Games demonstrates all that is good about sport.”
Mali, who met IOC president Jacques Rogge in Lausanne in October, revealed that IOC recognition had been part of the ICC’s strategic plan.
He said: “Our goal has been to become an international federation that is recognised by the IOC and we are pleased to have achieved this target.
“We want to play an active role in the Olympic Movement and we will be looking at ways in which we can work with the IOC for the benefit of cricket, sport and society in general.”
