Forget What Sachin Says, Cricket Will Survive Without the Olympics

Cricket’s geography and history prove that the sport can survive without the Olympics. Here’s why.

Cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne are backing the International Cricket Council (ICC)‘s move to get the sport included in the Olympics.

“I think it’s a great idea and I reckon T20 is the best format for it,” Sachin told BBC World Service when asked about his views on the matter.

Dream for Some

This has been a pet project for some time, especially for the previous CEO of the ICC, Haroon Lorgat. The ICC was made a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but the concept of the sport actually being played at an Olympiad is yet to begin. The ICC will begin consultations with the IOC in November and then deliberations will begin for a place at the 2024 Games.

It is no secret that there has been severe opposition to the move to be part of the Olympics from within the ICC, especially from England and India.

Issue of Participation

For one, the Olympic month clashes with the English season. And now, increasingly with the seasons of members like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Then there is the issue of the members itself. England will have to play under the banner of United Kingdom/Great Britain which also includes Scotland (an independent Associate member of ICC) and Northern Ireland (part of the Ireland cricket team).

The West Indies will have to be split into the different Island Nations that they actually are, thereby further reducing the competitive nature of the competition.

Format Issues

Then there is the issue of the format. While Tendulkar and Warne believe Twenty20 is the format for Olympics. The simple fact is that from 2016 onwards the men’s World Twenty20 will be played once in four years, whereas the women’s World Twenty20 will be played once in two years. The year of the World Twenty20 will clash with the Olympic year and thereby the dilute each other’s importance.

ICC’s multi-billion dollar rights to Star Sports and other stakeholders have been sold with the World Twenty20 as one of the marquee events. The presence of a similar world concept in the Twenty20 version at the Olympics in the same year will not be acceptable to any of them.

Adapting to the Times

Hence, the ICC is set to explore the question of what other formats can be tried out at the Olympics to draw attention. One of the formats is a six-a-side competition much like the Hong Kong Sixes.

The six-a-side contest will make a mockery of the sport. When the attempt is to get the world to take note of the second most popular sport, why then is an abridged version needed?

The Indian Mess

There is also opposition from the BCCI which has resisted moves from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to bring them under their banner. The one time India sent a side to a multi-sport event was at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. The scars from that mess are still fresh as the Indian national team played an official ODI series at the same time in Toronto against Pakistan. A second-string Indian side in both cities created a right royal mess with both ending in massive disasters.

Since then, India has avoided a presence at the South Asian Games and even the Asian Games, even though the other ICC members have sent junior sides to these events.

Why Ape Other Sports?

For over 100 years since the last time cricket featured in the Olympics, the sport has evolved with the times. It has developed its own set of pinnacle events and hence does not need an affirmation of its status from the Olympics.

For football, it’s the FIFA World Cup that matters most. Hence, football is an under-23 event at the Olympics. Does anyone remember the performers from the 2012 London Olympics? Why then is there a rush to denigrate both cricket and the Olympics by marrying the two? Cricket can be an observer of the Olympic movement, but should stay away from being a sport in it.

Cricket Can Stand On Its Own

Cricket’s grammar is different to other disciplines which need the Olympics to showcase their talents. There is also the issue of the competitive nature of the sport. With just six real sides able to compete as nations, cricket will end up becoming a shadow of itself at the Olympics.

Cricket may have 105 members, but the fact is some are joined together by history, some divided by history and some are just not good enough. It is simply not advisable to expose the sport to a wider world audience in such a scenario.