Cautious of lacking out on Olympics cricket, West Indies proposes 2 plans to ICC

The West Indies are in a novel scenario, and regardless of being a dominating pressure in world cricket, they haven’t any place in Olympics cricket because it makes a return in Los Angeles 2028. The present rule doesn’t permit the West Indies to be a part of the Olympics because it bars associations of countries from competing. The West Indies are additionally in an identical scenario to Nice Britain. Therefore, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has written to the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC), proposing two plans that might permit them to compete.

The Caribbean islands compete within the Olympics as separate nations. However for cricket, 15 nations come collectively to type the Cricket West Indies, a unified group. They turned the fourth nation to get Check standing in 1928. Since then, gamers from these 13 international locations type the West Indies Cricket Group.

“The Caribbean has at all times punched above its weight on the Olympics, inspiring the world with our athletic brilliance. Cricket’s return to the Video games in 2028 should not exclude our younger cricketers from the identical dream that has impressed our athletes. The Olympic Constitution emphasizes equity, transparency, and universality. We’re merely asking that these rules be upheld—not simply in spirit, however in construction. West Indies cricket should have a pathway, and totally deserve a chance to compete,” Kishore Shallow, President of Cricket West Indies, mentioned in an announcement.

The Olympics downside

As cricket returns to the LA 2028 Olympics, the West Indies will not be allowed to compete within the Olympics. The Worldwide Olympic Committee solely recognises sovereign international locations. Because the West Indies isn’t a sovereign nation however a collective of a number of impartial international locations and territories, every with its personal Nationwide Olympic Committee (NOC), it can not compete as a unit.

The IOC requires that Olympic groups characterize sovereign nations or acknowledged NOCs. The West Indies, as a regional cricketing entity administered by Cricket West Indies (CWI), doesn’t meet this criterion. As a substitute, particular person Caribbean nations like Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago can compete individually beneath their very own flags. The one time Caribbean islands have been allowed to compete as a unit was again in 1960 when it was referred to as the British West Indies.

West Indies proposal

Because the West Indies can not compete within the Olympics cricket regardless of being ranked within the Prime 5 for ICC T20 Group rankings in each males’s and girls’s, CWI has proposed two plans to the ICC.

• Proposal 1: Inside qualifier: If the ICC makes use of rankings to find out certified groups, the Caribbean islands will play an inside qualifying event amongst their IOC-affiliated nations. The winner will characterize the West Indies within the LA 2028 Olympics cricket.
• Proposal 2: World qualifier for affiliate nations: If the ICC decides in opposition to rankings as a qualifying criterion, the West Indies proposes a worldwide Olympics qualifier for affiliate nations. All Caribbean islands will compete in that event. Nevertheless, there are 96 affiliate members within the ICC other than 12 full members. That will make the qualifying event an extended one. With the cricket calendar already packed, it may very well be tough to make room for such an elaborate event.
• “All we’re asking is that our particular person nations’ distinctive Olympic legacy be thought-about within the dialog. The construction of West Indies cricket is exclusive— women and men groups representing 15 particular person nations and territories, every with its personal Olympic id. We can not let this once-in-a-generation alternative for nationwide improvement go with out making a means for our international locations to take part,” Chris Dehring, Chief Government Officer of CWI, mentioned in an announcement.

ICC’s problem

There shall be solely six groups within the males’s and girls’s occasions every. The six groups additionally embody the host nation United States, which is an affiliate ICC member. Therefore, that successfully makes issues tougher. The ICC should decide 5 nations for the qualification. As InsideSport reported earlier, the ICC is dealing with a number of challenges in figuring out the qualification standards.

Aside from the West Indies, Nice Britain may even face an identical problem. Whereas England and Scotland play cricket as separate entities, Nice Britain — England, Scotland, and Wales — competes within the Olympics. Nevertheless, Cricket Scotland is already in talks with England & Wales Cricket Board to type a joint group. Therefore, the ICC is already discovering it tough to determine on the qualification standards.

“There may be lots of time to determine on the qualification standards. It’s not the highest precedence in the intervening time. However you’re proper, it will likely be tough since cricket doesn’t comply with a simple qualification event like different sports activities. All of the stakeholders shall be a part of the dialogue when the time comes,” a senior BCCI official, who can be a member of the ICC committee, instructed InsideSport final month.

Doable standards for LA28 Cricket qualification

• ICC Rankings
• Standalone LA28 Qualification event
• Base ICC T20 World Cup 2026 because the qualification event
• Invitation-only