Surely now is the time for Rugby and Cricket to join the Olympics Party?
Having paid keen attention to the last couple of rounds of the IRB Sevens circuit in London and Edinburgh and then the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 with the “giant killing” of Holland defeating England it’s made me think…
Is now the time for the IOC to add Sevens and Twenty20 cricket to the roster?
Sevens is already part of the Commonwealth Games and it has gone down well with the crowds, plus with the touring aspect of the Sevens and the subsequent world coverage, it’s already doing more than the likes of previous Olympic sports such as Softball.
Plus Sevens can be fitted into two highly charged days of any event, perhaps on days before the Athletics begins where the focus is normally on the swimming pool?
The current World Twenty20 event that is going on in England is set to last 16 days, which would fit in well with the Olympic schedule (based on the 2008 Olympics).
The only problem would be about the ground: The Olympic stadium or the football stadium could be used but a drop in pitch would have to be used in both instances unless they could have a specialist ground for the cricket to take place.
The IPL has helped increase world coverage and the Olympics would further that, especially into the difficult to break American market.
As last night at Lord’s, and Kenya’s defeat of England in the group stages in Edinburgh proved, there is no set in stone winner of either event, which is what makes them special, Olympic special.
UR7s.com replied:
Twenty 20 at the Olympics I haven’t heard that being proposed before!!…….but I like it. I have been championing Sevens at the Olympics for a while and I really hope that the sport gets the recognition it deserves. And if a Twenty 20 can be slipped in there too it will make for a great few days of Olympic sports. Is there a website dedicated to getting twenty 20 to the Olympics?
June 8, 2009 at 8:45 am. Permalink.
Rachel Simmonite replied:
I don’t think there’s a website about getting Twenty20 in the Olympics but there should be! I mean it’s the ideal form of cricket to go into the Olympics and it gets the crowds in.
June 8, 2009 at 9:02 am. Permalink.