Cricket is one of the world’s most popular sports, with a huge fanbase. It is ranked second after soccer in the world record of most popular sports, with an estimated fanbase of 2.5 billion. Major cricket tournaments like IPL (Indian Premier League), World Cups, and T20 matches attract most of the audience.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF CRICKET?
Cricket was originated in the late 16th century in England. Back then, it was locally played by shepherds and farmers. It didn’t have any formal rules in the past centuries. Formal rules for cricket were introduced in the 18th century. In the year 1744, the first law for cricket was written down. Hambledon Club was the first club to standardize the rules in the 1760s and promote cricket as a structured sport.
In the late 19th century, cricket started to spread beyond England. The first international cricket match was held in 1844 between the United States and Canada. The Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) was established in 1909. The One-Day Internationals (ODIs) were introduced in the late 1970s to attract a larger audience towards the game. The first ODI took place between England and Australia in the year 1971.
The early 20s brought Twenty20 cricket (T20) matches, with the first international T20 match held between England and Australia in the year 2005.
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WHY IS CRICKET NOT PART OF THE PARIS SUMMER OLYMPICS 2024?
Despite cricket being loved globally, it is not part of the Paris Summer Olympics. There are many reasons for cricket’s absence in the Olympic games. Some are listed below.
1. The Historical Context and Policies of the Olympics
Cricket was only once part of the Olympic Games in the year 1900 in Paris, with only two teams participating: Britain and France. Since then, the Olympic games didn’t involve cricket as one of its sports. Despite the popularity of cricket in many countries, it hasn’t attracted audiences in the past. Which affects the decisions of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) about making it part of Olympic sports.
2. Sports’ Global Reach and Popularity
Despite the popularity of cricket in many international regions, it still falls behind in the universal appeal of sports. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) mainly follows sports of global interest and support. As cricket has only limited geographic reach, it appears an unappealing sport to take part in the Olympics.
3. Format and Infrastructure Problems
Cricket matches take hours to complete. Even the traditional test matches last up to five days and ODI (One-day international) takes about 8 hours to finish. Cricket matches seem longer than any other sport in the Olympics.
In addition, the sport also requires a well-built infrastructure. Including the pitch construction, the equipment required and the facilities for the team.
Therefore, the historic events and the challenges that come with the indulgence of the sport in the Olympic Games resulted in its exclusion. The IOC’s main focus is on modern sports that attract more interest and audiences. But cricket may be included as a part of Olympic sports in the future.
WAS CRICKET EARLIER PART OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES?
Earlier Cricket was primarily followed by the British Empire and was considered a British sport. Others had no interest in the game back then. Cricket was first played in the Olympics in the year 1900 in the Paris Summer Olympics. And unfortunately, that was the last time this game was part of Olympic sports. It was included in the Paris Summer Olympics of 1900 because of the efforts of the founder of modern Olympic games, Pierre De Coubertin. He wanted to promote this game and attract an audience. Unlucky, the game didn’t catch many eyes and led to only two teams participating in the area. Only Great Britain and France anticipated showing interest in cricket at the Paris Summer Olympics 1900. The match was held for two days, i.e. on August 19 and 20, 1900. The British team managed to defeat France on both days.
However, this still didn’t attract more international interest, leading to the dismissal of the game from the Olympics. The lack of infrastructure and management of the game was also one of the factors in the exclusion.
The ICC (INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL) and other board members are now demanding to expand the sport to other international games. As in the past years, cricket has gained a global audience, and the comeback of the sport in the Olympic games can be successful now.
