Cricket will officially return to the Olympic stage at LA28, marking its first appearance in the Games since 1900. The sport was included in the 1900 Paris Olympics, where only two teams, Great Britain and France, competed.
Although cricket has enjoyed immense global popularity, it has not been featured in the Olympics since then. Its inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games marks a significant return to the Olympic roster.
A domestic T20 tournament is scheduled for 2025 as part of plans to select the Caribbean team for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) president, Dr. Kishore Shallow, announced that talks are underway with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to host the tournament next year.
“Adding cricket to the agenda for the next Olympics is an exciting prospect, especially considering our success at the Commonwealth Games a couple of years ago, where we had one of our women’s teams competing proudly,” Dr. Shallow said.
Reflecting on the previous Women’s tournament where Barbados won the championship, Dr. Shallow noted, “At that time, we selected the original winners, and it was Barbados that brought home great honor for us.”
The selection process for the Olympic team will follow a similar model unless a directive allows all teams to compete, which is unlikely.
Dr. Shallow clarified that the current CPL format does not permit its winners to represent the region. “However, with a domestic T20 tournament, the winning team will likely earn the opportunity to compete at the 2028 Olympics,” he remarked.
Discussions with CARICOM leaders are already in progress to secure the necessary support. “We have been in talks with the CPL to secure funding for a domestic T20 tournament set to kick off next year. I believe Miles Bascombe and his team have carved out a time slot for this initiative in 2025,” he added.
Dr. Shallow concluded, “Once we successfully conduct that tournament, we will have a clearer picture of which teams will represent CWI at the Olympics. We cannot utilize the CPL in its current form due to its franchise structure. The forthcoming domestic tournament, though still designed with a commercial approach, will prioritize territories over franchises, enabling us to identify teams more effectively.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Stay ahead of the latest cricket industry trends by subscribing to our free cricexc “daily briefing” newsletter.
