Only the best should showcase cricket in Olympics return at LA 2028
June 11 (Reuters) - Cricket will return to the Olympics after 128 years at the 2028 Games and the popular view is only the best teams should showcase the game in Los Angeles, even if it means leaving out hosts the United States.
Both the men's and women's competitions will be a six-team contest in the 20-overs format when cricket is played in the Olympics for the first time since 1900.
The International Cricket Council is yet to announce the qualification format but is likely to pick the top six teams in the official rankings at a cut-off date.
The U.S. rank 17th in the men's list and 24th in the women's, which make their position untenable in the cricket competitions of their home Olympics.
"I'd love an associate member to get in there but let's be realistic," Sumod Damodar, who represents associate members like the U.S. in the ICC Chief Executives' Committee, told Reuters.
"Should the U.S. get an automatic place? I'll say let's put the best that we can on show.
"We're coming back into the Olympics after 128 years. We need to make that impressions so that people will say, 'Okay, we don't want them to go back and beg 'please include us' before every Olympics'.
"Like track and field, we need to become a regular Olympic fixture. We need to show them that this product is worth it."
With Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympics and India bidding for the 2036 Games, Botswana cricket chief Damodar hoped cricket will feature in the next three Olympics and beyond.
"We need to send the best six teams to showcase our game from the perspective of what it has in store for us, for the public, and the spectators in the future Olympic Games," he said.
Damodar added the ICC should announce a cut-off date sometime next year giving all members enough time to improve their rankings.
USA Cricket did not reply to a Reuters email seeking its view but Sanjay Govil, who owns the Washington Freedom franchise in the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the U.S., also said only the best should represent cricket at Los Angeles.
"It should be based on merit, because we also want to make sure that it's competitive, right?" Govil told Reuters.
"I think we should have the six best teams because otherwise it would be unfair to leave out a team to accommodate USA."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Dressage Olympian suspended for repeatedly whipping horse
Australian Olympian Heath Ryan has been suspended by Equestrian Australia after a video emerged that appeared to show him repeatedly whipping a 66, represented Australia in dressage at the Beijing Olympic Games in video - said by Ryan to be about two years old - shows a man striking a horse around 40 times. Ryan issued a statement to say he was acting in "the horse's best interest".Ryan said the horse, named Nico, came to him after an accident which resulted in a female rider needing hospital Australian said that Nico "had always been a problem child and would just not stop" and after the video he was able to rehome the said, external: "I am so sad this was caught on video. If I had been thinking of myself I would have immediately just gotten off and sent Nico to the knackery."That video was a life or death moment for Nico and I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options."All of this transpired sincerely with the horse's best interests the sole consideration. Unbelievably it was so successful for everyone except me with the release of this video."Britain's three-time Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin missed the Paris Games last year after a video emerged of her repeatedly striking a horse around its legs with a long whip. She was subsequently banned for a year by the FEI, equestrian sport's world governing the Ryan video drew attention, Equestrian Australia said it had received a formal complaint about one of its members and had imposed a provisional suspension from all competitions and national body said:, external "Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage."Our policies include high standards to protect all participants and their horses against any adverse physical, social, and emotional conditions."
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Mikaela Shiffrin on triumphs, trauma and the road to the 2026 Olympics
In this episode of The Drink, Kate Snow sits down with Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated alpine skier in history. Shiffrin reflects on the defining moments of her career so far — from the thrill of 101 World Cup wins, to the heartbreak of Olympic disappointment. She also opens up about her recent PTSD diagnosis, and how she hopes to bring greater attention to mental health among athletes. Tune in to watch the Winter Olympics in February 2026 on NBC & 12, 2025
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Olympian filmed ‘hitting horse over 40 times'
A video has emerged of an Olympic dressage rider repeatedly whipping a horse barely six months after Charlotte Dujardin was banned for a year for a similar incident. Heath Ryan, 66, was filmed apparently hitting a horse called Nico more than 40 times in footage uploaded to the Facebook page of Dressage Hub. The video prompted a response from Ryan, who competed for Australia at the 2008 Olympics, stating that his actions had been part of a 'rescue mission' to prevent the horse from being sent to the slaughterhouse. He also claimed the video had been 'posted by an unhappy ex-employee'. 'Oh my goodness! The most awful video of me on a young horse has just surfaced,' he wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. 'This horse was dropped off at my place on his way to the knackery. His name is Nico. He was six years of age. A beautiful type.' Ryan said the 'problem child' horse had been sent to him after putting a 'wonderful family friend' of his in intensive care. 'That video was a life-or-death moment for Nico and of that I was very aware. I felt I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options. Anyway by the end of that initial ride I did feel Nico was responding. 'I rode Nico for another couple of days and he responded very well and started to go without the excessive use of driving aids. 'All of this transpired sincerely with the horse's best interests the sole consideration. 'I need to add that this happened about two years ago and the video has been posted by an unhappy ex-employee. 'All I can say is that this awful video was collateral damage of me from the bottom of my heart launching a rescue mission.' Ryan, who has competed in equestrian events in Australia for decades, is the brother of triple Olympic equestrian gold medallist Matt Ryan. In December, Britain's three-time Olympic champion Dujardin was banned for a year for whipping a horse on the legs more than 20 times. That followed the emergence of years-old footage shortly before the Paris Games, from which she withdrew, conceding she had made 'an error of judgement' during a coaching session.
