ICC president opposed to Olympic cricket

Cricket365
July 1, 2014

New ICC president Mustafa Kamal has upheld his organisation's position on cricket at the Olympics, saying it would not be viable as the game takes too long to play at the best of times.

The ECB and BCCI had already expressed opposition to the idea, and as two third of the Big Three, the matter seemed a moot one. Kamal pondered what the point would be of sending weaker teams to the Games.

Kamal said: "We have debated it a lot, whether we should go to Olympics. Football sends B, C or D teams to Olympics, so what will we gain by sending B, C or D team from cricket?

"We feel that our value will be diluted if we go there. Cricket has a legacy, it has importance.

"Cricket takes time. Something like a 100m run takes 9 seconds. I might need 11 seconds, so you tell me how you can send so many countries and play such a lengthy game in the Olympics?"

The ICC's position prompted disappointment, with Olympic Council of Asia secretary general Raja Randhir saying on Cricinfo: "If cricket was on the Olympic programme it would give a great boost.

"It would not be restricted to the few countries where it's played and it would come on a global stage where all the greats of the world of sport are playing."

He also questioned the notion that it would take time away from regular cricket schedules and cost boards money, saying: "It's a question of 15 days, how does it make a difference?

"Every international sport fixes their calendar around the Olympics and they aren't something that's shifted around. I think cricket can work its calendar around that."