A campaign has been launched to include cricket as a demonstration sport at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
The Evening Standard reports Labour Assembly member Murad Qureshi has set up an online petition and Facebook page. Qureshi wants the sport to be included in its Twenty20 form, in which matches normally take between two and three hours.
Former Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist and Sri Lankan star Kumar Sangakkara are appearing in a video message at a meeting in Dubai of chief executives from the 10 leading cricket nations. In the video Sangakkara says, “the entire 1.5 billion (population) of the Asian cricket-playing countries have been galvanized and they have been enthused by the new format. I don’t think the final credibility of being accepted as a truly global sport will be reached until we embrace this Olympic concept.
“It’s our responsibility as players and administrators…to try to push for that recognition and the only way I see we can achieve that is to be recognized as an Olympic sport.
“The Olympics is the ultimate goal, the ultimate competition and the ultimate testing ground”.
Gilchrist and Sangakkara want the support of the chief executives to convince the ICC executive board to tell the International Olympic Committee (IOC) next year that cricket should be included in 2013 for the 2020 Summer Games.
Sangakkara said players, fans, and the people of the subcontinent would all benefit and the Olympics would become embedded on the subcontinent.
