September 8, 2023. In all likelihood, cricket will take a big step towards making it back to the Olympic fold after a 124-year hiatus this coming Friday, as the IOC Executive Board meets to make final recommendations on the inclusion of new sports at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. LA 28 has already sent its recommendations to the IOC EB, and from what we understand, cricket is more than likely to be in the list. Once the EB approves it, it will go to the session, to be held in Mumbai in October 2023, for final approval.
We had broken this story on RevSportz six months ago, and have tracked it ever since. And it wasn’t really a smooth ride for cricket to begin with. For a period, it seemed the sport was in choppy waters, and it was largely because of the economics associated with the sport in the South Asian market that it made it back to the top of the list for LA 28. Not only will cricket’s inclusion open up a huge South Asian market for the IOC, it will also allow the Olympic movement a larger play in the global South.
The inclusion of cricket is also expected to make a huge difference in the way the Olympics are viewed in India. As a property, the Olympics at the moment are no match for the IPL or any cricket-related property. While Viacom paid 25,000 crores for IPL rights for five years – 5000 crores per year – they paid 250 crores to secure the rights of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The inclusion of cricket is expected to alter this dynamic radically. Industry experts suggest that the lure of watching an Indian gold medal in the cricket in LA could push the value up by 20 times, making it touch 5000 crores. This money, which is in turn shared by the IOC and National Olympic Committees, would also strengthen the financial muscle of the IOA. With such largesse coming its way, the IOA could then use the monies to plough a lot more back into Indian Olympic sport and create more growth stories in the process.
In normal circumstances, the IOC session in India in October isn’t being organised at a good time. With the cricket World Cup on in the country in October, it will be difficult for the session to capture media attention and garner eyeballs. However, things change dramatically if cricket is brought into the equation. Imagine Mrs Ambani, India’s IOC member, celebrating the formal announcement on cricket’s inclusion in LA in the middle of the World Cup. Frankly, it couldn’t be better timing if thought that way.
While it is still not yet a done deal, chances are that it is more than likely now. On September 8, it could be as much as 99 percent done. The growing importance of the Indian market for the IOC, India’s determination to mount a strong Olympic bid for 2036 and Brisbane, hosts of the 2032 Olympic Games, being a strong base for cricket, all point to things going in favour of the sport. However even if cricket is one of the five sport LA 28 picks and the session approves, it won’t be a permanent sport yet.
In sport, you don’t win till you win, but let’s just say that cricket is now firmly in the hot seat to making a comeback. The IOC President’s recent comments to CNBC TV18 have only added to the expectation that cricket will see a positive outcome.
Only once was cricket played as part of the Olympics, in Paris in 1900. With England and France being the two competing teams, all it needed was a final. Baron Pierre De-Coubertin was convinced of the sport’s potential, and wanted to push for its inclusion in St Louis in 1904. That cricket wasn’t eventually played at those Olympics actually impacted the sport. Cricket in the US at the turn of the 20th century had a steady audience, and it was only after 1910 that baseball firmly pushed the sport out of the American consciousness. In fact, had a tournament been held in St Louis, cricket could well have had an Olympic future.
For every athlete, an Olympic medal is special. Even the great Roger Federer values his Olympic doubles gold with Stan Wawrinka, won in Beijing in 2008, as much as his titles at SW 19. Walking in the village with Novak Djokovic, if he is still around, or our very own Neeraj Chopra would indeed be something that Smriti Mandhana or Shubman Gill could look forward to if things stay on track for the sport at the IOC EB meeting on Friday.