BCCI and Jay Shah open for India's participation if cricket gets inducted at Olympics

The Tokyo Olympics 2020 came to conclusion on Sunday, with India bagging seven medals in the global event. It was the best performance so far in the history of the Olympics and made every Indian citizen proud of the efforts put in by all the players. Now, cricket, which was part of the Olympics way back in 1900, with France and Great Britain competing in a two-day fixture, can again make a re-entry in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with eight teams competing in it.

The International Cricket Council (ICC)’s has worked out the details for the same and have kept a proposal to International Olympic Committee (IOC). The ICC was already in talks with the IOC before, but it was the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s reluctance to partake in the Olympics, which in the past, made ICC introspect of having cricket in the global event.

But if reports are to be believed, then BCCI secretary Jay Shah has revealed that if Cricket is being played in Olympics, then India will participate. “Once cricket is added in the Olympics, India will be participating,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said. “The BCCI and the ICC are on the same page as far as participation in the Olympics is concerned.”

The BCCI was happy with the way Indian athletes performed in the Tokyo 2020 and with many such laurels to follow in the coming Olympics, the BCCI changed its stance. “The BCCI is more than happy to work together with the government and help increase India’s medal chances,” a BCCI official said to Hindustan Times.

T20 format likely to part of Olympics in 2028

Although it is still not clear, as to which format the ICC allows the eight-playing nations to compete in Olympics, the T20 format has emerged as the frontrunner for now. With the games ending in a maximum of four hours, it is more than likely that the shortest format will be part of the spectacle mostly in 2028 in Los Angles.

Although it is still a farfetched thought of making cricket part of the Olympics in the next year itself, India’s rapidly growing consumer reach and as well as its smart digital engagement base will be beneficial for IOC’s search for new Olympics prospects.