Mcc Backs Twenty20 Olympic Inclusion
The World Cricket Committee at Marylebone Cricket club has given its support for the sport’s Twenty20 format to be included in the 2024 Olympic Games. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had received Olympic recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2010, bringing the sport one step closer to Olympic inclusion.
The World Cricket Committee, which acts as an independent body to the ICC, gave its support following a two-day summit in Aukland. A statement from the MCC stated: ‘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.’
Twenty20 cricket would have to compete with wushu, wrestling, wakeboarding, squash, sport climbing, roller sports, karate and baseball/softball for inclusion at the 2024 Games. Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee announced that wrestling would be left out of the 2020 Olympic Games event programme following a meeting of the organisation’s executive board in which all 26 sports were reviewed.
