Suggestions cricket "could soon become an Olympic sport" have been "played down" by two IOC members, who said that the sport is "unlikely to be included" in the Games before '32, according to SKY SPORTS. Cricket has been featured in just one Olympics, the 1900 Games in Paris, but the Int'l Cricket Council is "understood to be close to announcing a formal application" to join the program for '24. The success of the Women's Cricket World Cup, which saw England crowned champion on Sunday, was watched by millions around the globe, but IOC members Craig Reedie and Adam Pengilly "still believe cricket's road to an Olympic return will be long, with several significant obstacles." Reedie said, "I don't think cricket has any chance in 2024 or 2028 because neither of the hosts, Paris and Los Angeles, will be very interested and the sport isn't top of the list of those waiting for a chance. That said, India is the biggest reason for bringing cricket in and the Games are driven by television, so it is not beyond the realms of possibility but I would suggest 2032 is a more realistic timescale." Pengilly: "I think there are still too many factors working against cricket: it's
not global, it's not particularly 'youth' and it doesn't meet many of
the key Olympic themes" (SKY SPORTS, 7/26).
