Why is there no cricket in the Olympics?

For Indians and a lot of fans in the subcontinent, cricket is the sport of the masses. From uneven pitches to area specific rules which combine the orthodox rules and unorthodox rules, cricket is played in a variety of forms. The game itself is divided into three formats – tests, one-day internationals, and twenty-twenty matches.

The last time cricket was played in the Olympics was in the year 1900, when according to multiple news reports Pierre de Coubertin was the person responsible for its one and only appearance. The match took place between teams of Great Britain and France which was won by the former. In a report by Barnaby Haszard Morris for Aboutsports, he goes on to say how there was no fanfare about the entire game.

At this summer’s Olympics, cricket is yet again not on the list of the Olympic events which kicks off in Rio. There are a host of reasons, though, which prevents cricket from being a part of the Olympics. Let’ bring forth the reasons for cricket not being part of the Olympics and deliberate on them.

Global Appeal

Cricket for all its popularity in the sub-continent is still not a widely played sport. Compared to the global appeal of football, cricket is still far behind in terms of appealing to the youth of the larger nations mainly USA, China and the other European nations. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, with an approximate billion plus fans, but that doesn't make it a global game.

Infrastructure

Another factor is the playing conditions that needs to be created to produce a perfect day’s game of cricket. Preparing the perfect playing surface in cricket, the pitch needs to be made in a manner which will ensure fair cricket. Unlike other events which are not so affected by the conditions, cricket is also susceptible to change in weather conditions.

Also, the requirement of a stadium of certain dimensions almost ensures that no other sport can be played in that stadium, thus discouraging other sports being conducted in the same stadium. Organizing a cricket match does take a lot of preparation and most host cities would rather use the facilities already within the existing structures. Preparing a new stadium for a sport which doesn’t have takers is a huge financial expenditure that prevents cricket from being considered seriously as well.

Time Consuming

The 20-20 version of cricket has its own intimate style, can be completed in a short duration and provides good entertainment value as well. Understandably, even the shortest version of cricket consumes a minimum time of three and a half hours, which given the tight schedule, can often be a hindrance. A proposed method is to have a knock-out format and age restrictions for a healthy competition.

Viewership/Clash with ICC events

The presence of a billion Indian fans at least ensures that there are takers for the sport. The problem lies in the fact that viewership will only be from a handful of countries. This summer’s Olympics has participants from 206 countries and a “Refugee Olympic Team”. ICC, on the other hand, wants to protect its events, the biennially held T20 World Cup every two years. That aside, the requirements of IOC to not have any political members associated with the respective sporting bodies.

Power sharing and working closely with IOC officials is also a necessity which most cricket associations don’t prefer as they find it as an infringement of their turf. Similarly, for nations such as Great Britain the clubbing of different cricket boards under the umbrella of Great Britain is also problematic.

Cricket as a sport has evolved rapidly with an increasing viewership and reach. Though it may not be an Olympic sport, it has been seen that it has made requisite changes to encourage youngsters to take up the sport. Cricket to be recognized as an Olympic sport may end up doing more for the game than hosting one-off matches in exotic locales.

The Olympic motto of Citis-Altius-Fortius (Faster - Higher – Stronger), encourages sportsmen to give it their all. An Olympic medal, be it in any sport is to be treasured and for any cricketer, the opportunity to have an Olympic gold medal around their neck is something they will cherish.