Dave Richardson, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, fears the sport’s path towards becoming an Olympic sport may have become harder in light of the number of high-profile golfers to have pulled out of the Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The subject of putting cricket forward for inclusion in the 2024 edition was discussed during the ICC annual conference in Edinburgh at the start of the month, with Richardson claiming the majority of the 105 member countries believe it would “do wonders” for spreading the sport beyond its traditional outposts.
Richardson has warned the current situation in golf, which sees its future inclusion in the Olympics in question following the withdrawal of 20 of the world’s best players on the men’s tours from August’s event in Brazil, must not be ignored if the ICC is to present a solid case to the International Olympic Committee.
While concerns over the Zika virus have been cited by the players in question, the IOC president, Thomas Bach, has since queried whether this is the genuine reason after the world No4, Rory McIlroy, said he may not even watch the Olympic golf, after opting out himself, and instead tune in for “the stuff that matters”.
On the challenge this presents for cricket’s hopes of inclusion, Richardson said: “The IOC made it clear from the start that if we want to persuade them, they want the top teams and the top athletes. I think this experience with golf might have made it even harder for us to get in, because we will have to convince them our top teams and players will be there.
“Will cricketers regard it as the pinnacle, or would they prefer a World Twenty20, a World Cup, an Ashes series? And if it’s not the pinnacle, should we be in the Olympics in the first place?”
Richardson confirmed the ICC would have to present its case for the 2024 Games to the IOC by next summer at the latest or approach the host venue directly once it is named that September, with the Italian cricket board having recently claimed to have received assurances from the organising committee for Rome’s bid that the sport would be included in their proposed package.
Olympic cricket, which was last seen in the shape of a one-off match in 1900, is seen as a way to unlock funding for the sport in countries such as the United States and China and while Richardson admitted any possible tournament may not have the capacity to include such countries – while also presenting issues for the likes of West Indies, who compete as separate nations in Olympic sport – the benefits could still be felt.
He added: “The IOC are quite keen for cricket to be involved but it must be treated seriously and not Under-23s or a format of the game that is not taken seriously. Twenty20 is the format they are talking about – men and women – and fewer teams than you might imagine. There’s not much space for more than eight teams.
“Even though the US or China might not participate, they will still see the game being played on television. And as I understand it, the funding is not based on sending a team but if it is an Olympic sport. All teams would be involved in qualifying, we would have regional qualifiers.
“The majority of ICC members believe that if cricket was at the Olympics it could do wonders for globalising the game. Sure, the World Twenty20 gets a lot of viewers around the world but it attracts current cricket fans.If you want to really globalise the game – USA, China, Europe – then we have to be at the Olympics.”
