New Delhi: Two-time World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting is of the conviction that cricket’s return to Olympics in the next edition is a big positive for the sport. Cricket has been included in the list of additional sports at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics along with squash, softball, lacrosse, and flag football.
Cricket was first played at the 1900 Olympics in Paris with only two teams participating. Great Britain won the gold while France settled for a silver. The bat-and-ball sport will return to the Summer Games after 128 years, four years from now.
Ponting believes this move will only help the sport get recognised by many unfamiliar people in USA and other countries.
“It can only be a positive thing for our game. I’ve sat on various committees over the last 15 or 20 years, and it’s always been on the top of almost every agenda –- how do we get the game back into the Olympics? And finally, it’s there,” Ponting was quoted as saying during The ICC Review.
“It’s only four years away. I think it also gives cricket a chance to break into the grassroots level in the US.
But the thing about the Olympic Games, it’s not the host nation. It’s about the audience that it opens up,” he added.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially confirmed the sport’s presence in the Games during the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai in October last year.
Ponting says infrastructure will be key
The pitches in the United States came under scrutiny during the T20 World Cup 2024 for inability to produce high-scoring matches. Although it isn’t clear of how many teams will participate in the LA Games, Ponting believes that infrastructure will play a key role to shape the tournament.
“Facilities and infrastructure and those things are going to be key and how many teams they actually decide on. I think it’s only six or seven teams that they’re talking about. So, qualification is going to be at a premium — how you actually qualify to get into the Olympic Games,” the former Aussie skipper said.
“So all those things to think about, I’m really excited about where the game is headed and the growth of different markets that we’re seeing emerge,” he added.
Cricket was part of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou last year with India sweeping gold medals in both men’s and women’s events.
Cricket was first played at the 1900 Olympics in Paris with only two teams participating. Great Britain won the gold while France settled for a silver. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
