Cricket at the 2020 Olympics?

Kranti Khanderkar explores the youngster’s take on the idea of the inclusion of Cricket in the 2020 Olympic.

With the start of the Beijing event less than a week away, Adam Gilchrist made a comment that he believed cricket has the potential to be included in the Olympic Games, and that this will help secure the game’s global future. Although, considering the success of the new format and the Indian Premier League, he said Twenty 20 is the ideal version to be included in the 2020 Olympics.

Let’s find out the Gen X’s view on this issue is…

It should go to the Olympics. But before that we have to make sure that it is spread to more parts of the world, so that more countries could participate. For that we have to putting in right efforts from now on, and carry on with the developmental programs side-by-side, so it can be part of the Games in 5 or may be 10 years, said Sherin, 22, Computer Engineering Student.

There are 104 members of ICC, and amongst them, there are only 8 to 10 countries that participate. So to be part of the Olympics, it has to be truly presented as a global sport and not just a few. Abhijeet Kulkarni, Chief Sports Reporter, Hindustan Times.

Nowadays more and more countries have started to play cricket, including USA and
China. In fact, China has committed itself to be a major cricket force in the future. So I think that by 2020, the shortest version of the game will be ready to be part of the biggest sporting spectacle, The Olympic Game, says Harshala Naik, Editor at KPO (Knowledge
Processing Outsourcing)

I think cricket is not ready to be included 2020 Olympics, because hardly 10-12 countries play cricket, so to include the twenty-format, we need to run a campaign that will teach the world how to play cricket. Sanket Parab, Engineering Student.

As things stand now, cricket doesn’t have a chance to be included in the near future. A lot of lobbying and horse trading is required to get a sport to be included in the Games, as evidenced by the recent controversy regarding selection of venues and the resulting bribing allegations amongst the adjudicators, said Diwakar Seth, Jewellery Merchant & Cricket Enthusiast.

The inclusion of cricket in Olympics will help spread cricket in new territories and raise its popularity amongst women too. Before including cricket, we need to make our cricket popular in the majority of the competing Olympic nations, by making it exciting and ground-breaking in countries that haven't yet caught the 'cricket-bug'. This will also result in cricket getting more competitive and thereby flourishing in countries where it is currently played today.