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We are round the corner of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that commences today. However, as cricket admirers, we often wonder when will cricket become a regular sport in the Olympics.

The only time it happened was in the year 1900 when Great Britain claimed the gold medal by vanquishing France. However, in the Olympics before and after the 1900 one, Cricket was in the plans but got shelved after there weren't enough teams to participate, while some teams backed out of the competition at the last moment.

Since then Olympics have carried on without the inclusion of cricket. Thus, today, Cricwizz brings to you five reasons why Cricket should be a part of the Olympics.

#1 Viewership Boost

Cricket as a sport has an enormous fan base, higher than any sport except for football. With over 100 countries playing the sport yearly, imagine the buzz it will cultivate when it's played in the Olympics.

Millions of fans watching their nation fight it out for the grandest honor, seeing them participate in this global extravaganza would be highly competitive, isn't it?

The viewership will be augmented, while we may see growth in the event for both recreational and commercial purposes.

What do you think?

#2 The necessity of Team Sports

The Olympics is an event where every nation yearns to attain glory. An event where every nation wants to huddle as many medals as they can, every nation is not just consisting of the players that are competing but also incorporates all the fans from all corners of the world rooting for them.

In an event that seeks togetherness, don't you think that there must be more sporting events that have more than two players competing together? 

Did you know that 33 sports and 339 events are being held at the Olympics? Do you know what is surprising? That only 10 out of the 33 sports are team sports. That's only 30.3%. 

Cricket's upswing at the Olympics would not only give us one more sport where we support our nations but a sport with a global reach, impacting millions of viewers directly.

Can you list all the team sports being held at the Tokyo Olympics 2020? Okay, let's do it together!

The team sports are:

Basketball, Hockey, Volleyball, Handball, Football, Baseball, Softball, and the various other events having mixed divisions. 

#3 An opportunity for associate nations

Football has been a sport that has been in the Olympics for a long time. Only in 1896 and in 1932, football was not played. Coming to the main point, football's presence in the Olympics has led to so many nations toiling and building resources to develop a football team that eventually starts competing.

Similarly, with Cricket's inclusion in the Olympics, many associate and affiliate nations like Russia, China, Canada, and the USA would get engrossed in the sport, only to ensure that the medals are not lost because of a sport that hasn't been a part of the Olympic plans for several years.

In fact, over the years, it is safe to say that Canada have a shown tremendous progress in cricket and that is looked upon as a plan by the US as well.

So now, Cricket is not just a sport with a gigantic reach but its inclusion in the Olympics would only encourage more nations like China and Russia to come forward and strive.

#4 Growth of Women's cricket 

Yes, we know that Women's cricket has enough recognition now but wouldn't the competition increase multifold if it's included in the Olympics? It's not men's cricket in this case that is dominated by 5-6 major nations, women's cricket is more likely to bring fierce competition and if it's included in the Olympics then we will surely see many nations coming up with their teams.

Every sport has its favorite in the Olympics as well so should a couple of teams with strong squads make a difference? It will only bring more competition, something that Olympics thrives for.

Women's cricket is emerging and the inclusion would only benefit everyone, the viewers, the nations, and the Olympics committee.

#5 The emergence of new nations and formats

Even though T20 is also a feasible format for the Olympics, if the authorities finalize the 10-over format, it won't make much difference.

That will only promote the new format as it won't have a team with experience. Every nation, every squad will be fresh and we may see the best of players battling in a format alien to everyone.

Apart from these reasons, Cricket in Olympics would also benefit cricket as a sport because even though it has a fan following of millions, playing cricket for your country at the grandest stage would be a moment to cherish for everyone.

The future of Cricket in the Olympics does look bright as there have been green signals from the cricket boards around the world. It does look a certain inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Click here, to read on the reasons why the Olympics has not been a part of the Olympics and future possibilities. 

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