Cricket joins the Olympics 2028 after the 123-year gap, It was surprising that the only cricket match of the Olympics took place in France, where even today there is no interest in cricket. The rules of this match were also slightly different. The number of players in these cricket teams was 11 not 12.
Cricket is set to return to the Olympics in 2028 after a 123-year gap. The sport was last played at the Olympics in Paris in 1900 when Great Britain defeated France in the gold medal match. Cricket in the 1900 OlympicsOpens through a new window,
A majority of International Olympic Committee (IOC) members have supported the addition of five other sports (flag football, squash, lacrosse, baseball/softball) to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, along with cricket.
During the meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Mumbai on Monday, only two members opposed the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics.
Following this development, it is believed that the 2028 Olympics could feature a men’s and women’s T20 tournament.
The organizers of the Los Angeles Games have proposed a six-team cricket event, but no final decision has been taken on the number of teams and the qualification process so far.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the addition of new sports would make the LA Games “interesting”. “The selection of these sports matches the sports culture in the United States and will allow the world to see uniquely American sports.” While with this, the World Games will also be able to come to America.
On the other hand, Richard Gould, the head of the England and Wales Cricket Council, believes that this is a great opportunity to show men’s and women’s cricket to the world through the Olympics in the United States. “I have no doubt that inclusion in the Olympics will promote women’s sports.”
The final program and athlete quota for these new sports will be announced later. Host cities are given the opportunity to propose sports events there in the Olympic program.
Remember that the T20 World Cup for men is going to be held in the United States and the West Indies during June 2024, in which the United States will participate as the host. The US team will be able to directly participate in the LA Games as the host country.
Cricket has been part of the Olympics only once in the past when its only match was played in Paris in 1900.
When cricket became part of the Olympics for the first and last time
When the Olympics were held for the first time in 1896, cricket was included, but no team was there to participate, so it had to be canceled.
Four years later, cricket was also included in the 1900 Olympics. The Olympics were held in Paris, the capital of France. A cricket match was held only once in the history of the Olympics, that too during the same Olympics.
It is surprising that the only cricket match of the Olympics took place in France, where even today there is no interest in cricket. 19 sports events were organized in the Olympics held in Paris, including cricket. Four teams participated in the tournament: Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and France.
Belgium and the Netherlands abruptly withdrew their bids before the match began because their offer to host the Games was not accepted.
That means there were only two teams left in this match: Great Britain and France. Only one match was played between the two and it was called the ‘final’ which was held at the cycling venue in Paris.
The rules of this match were also slightly different. The number of players in these cricket teams was 11 not 12. You will also note that at that time there was only Test cricket i.e. the matches lasted for five days but in the Olympics, this match lasted only for two days.
For this, Great Britain did not send its national team, but a local club ‘Devon and Somerset Wanderers’ represented Great Britain. Actually, the players of the club were on a tour of France and were asked to go to Paris and participate in the Olympics.
The local UK club team was contested by the ‘All Paris’ team representing France, consisting of 12 British-born players including British officers living in Paris.
Out of a total of 24 players of both teams, only two had played first-class cricket and both of them showed good performance in batting and bowling.
Great Britain defeated France on the second day of the two-day match with just five minutes left in regulation.
It is also surprising that the winning team of this match did not get the gold medal but the British team got the silver medal and the French team got the bronze medal.
Both teams were given photos of the Eiffel Tower as souvenirs, but the most interesting thing was that both teams did not know that they were participating in the Olympics.
The match was included in the official statistics of the Olympics 12 years later and both teams were then awarded gold and silver medals.
At the Paris Olympics, it was also decided that cricket would be included in the third Olympics to be held in St. Louis, but once again, no participating countries were found, and due to this, the plan to include cricket in the competition was shelved. Had to cancel. After that, cricket was not included in the Olympics again.
In those days only Test matches were held. It was difficult to manage such long matches in the Olympics. There were also fears that it would go on for even longer with more teams participating. For this reason, cricket was kept out of the Olympic Games for a long time.
How is a new sport added to the Olympics?
Previously, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made the decision before adding any new sport. But now the IOC has given this responsibility to the Olympics management committee of the host country.
This change was implemented after the Olympics 2020. It aims to reach as many people as possible, especially the youth. The Tokyo Olympic Management Committee proposed the addition of new sports to the Tokyo Olympics in 2015 and the IOC accepted the proposal in 2016.
There are certain conditions under which the host country’s governing committee may consider including sports.
The first condition is that the host country should have adequate facilities to host the sports events. It should be noted that before the T20 World Cup in 2024, the Major League Cricket tournament was played in two stadiums in Texas and North Carolina in America.
In terms of the inclusion of new sports, it is also important to have a culture about the sport in the host country. This also makes it clear that a sport that is included in one Olympics does not necessarily need to be included in the next Olympic Games.
