While many are freaking out about wrestling being cut from the 2020 Games, possibly for squash, the world cricket community is using a “great deal of effort” to get their sport included in the 2024 Olympics program to boost its global exposure.
Cricket already received its IOC recognition back in 2010, which means it can apply to appear in future Olympics starting in 2024. The sport hasn’t appeared in the Olympics since the 1900 Paris Games, but now thinks the Olympic tournament would be the “pinnacle” of the sport.
There are a few concerns, mostly the “short term loss of income,” which the International Cricket Committee seemed to be willing to forfeit for the good of the sport because, as they said in a statement, they are “impressed with the potential boost for the game worldwide if cricket were to be included.”
The ICC met for two days in Auckland, and said afterwards that international cricket was clean of corruption “for the most part” and that match fixing has shifted to domestic cricket matches.
With the USOC seriously contemplating a bid for the 2024 Olympics, it’ll be interesting to see whether an American Games would change the timeline of cricket’s Olympics debut, since it’s not huge over here.
At least not as big as wrestling, right? So continue freaking out.