BCCI has agreed to send both men’s and women’s teams for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. BCCI Apex Council has on Friday decided, in principle, to field both the men’s and the women’s teams at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if the game is included in the roster.
In what can be a huge boost for the International Cricket Council (ICC) in their bid for the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to field both men’s and women’s teams for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The decision was taken in the board’s apex council meeting on Friday.
BCCI Is Agreeable To Send Both Teams If Cricket Is Included In 2028 LA Olympics
As per a report in the Times of India, the Indian cricket board is also keen on sending the Indian women’s team for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games next year. With ICC trying to get a place in the Olympics, BCCI’s backing is a huge boost for the international body.
“The board is agreeable to send both its teams if cricket makes it the cut for the LA Olympics. It will be a boost for both men’s and women’s cricket,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by Times of India.
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BCCI’s reluctance to come under the national anti-doping agency (Nada) was one of the major hurdles ICC was facing in its bid to take cricket back to Olympics. However, with the Indian cricket board now under Nada’s umbrella, the international body is keen on expanding the sport through the Olympics. The ICC has already formed a committee to accelerate the process.
The women’s team will also compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The Apex Council that met virtually also decided that the women’s team led by Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur will tour Australia at the end of 2021. That will be followed by a New Zealand tour which will precede the Women’s ODI World Cup.
BCCI To Grant Pakistan Cricketers And Media Visas For T20I World cup
The committee will be dealing with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Cricket had last featured in the Olympics in 1900.
“If BCCI will retain its autonomous status or be deemed as a national sports federation can be handled later. At this moment, it’s important that BCCI plays its part in expanding the sport,” the official told TOI.
Apart from the decision on the Olympics, the BCCI has also confirmed that the Pakistan cricket players and media will be granted visas upon their arrival in India for the T20 World Cup later this year. Earlier the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had sought assurance from both the Indian cricket board and ICC over the matter.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has given conditional approval for Indian teams’ participation in the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. The all-powerful Apex Council decided at its meeting on Friday (April 16) that if the autonomy of the BCCI is not affected, it will allow the men’s and women’s teams’ participation in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The BCCI has traditionally been wary of the potential influence of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in its functioning should it decide to send the teams to the Olympics. While the Board members have given the go-ahead for the participation in the Olympics in 2028 and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year, they have also decided to consult a few associations whose autonomy was preserved despite being an Olympic sport.