Cricket not to be part of Commowealth Games 2026
Oct 22, 2024
New Delhi [India], October 22 : Cricket will not be part of Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Only ten disciplines will feature in the competition this time and Cricket, which made its return during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham through a women's T20 tournament after its last appearance in 1998 Kuala Lumpur CWG, is not in schedule. Australia had won the tournament, beating Harmanpreet Kaur-led India narrowly in the final. Australian women's team was led by legendary, multi-time World Cup-winning captain Meg Lanning.
and Australia had emerged champions in men's and women's categories respectively, with Men in Blue led by Ruturaj Gaikwad and the Australian women's team led by legendary, multi-time World Cup-winning captain Meg Lanning.
There are no specific reasons given yet for the scrapping of the sport from the schedule along with field hockey, badminton, shooting and wrestling, among others. CWG CEO Katie Sadleir said in a statement as quoted by ESPNCricinfo,
"The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow - an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact - in doing so increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting."
Budgets, it would appear, is the reason for a much-more trimmed down CWG 2026.
This comes when cricket is all set for its return to Olympics, in the 2028 Los Angeles edition, after 128 years. Cricket was a part of Olympics back in 1900 and will now feature in T20 format in the LA Olympics. Great Britain had won the cricket gold medal in 1900, beating France in the final.
Cricket was also brought back to the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year after 2014, with a multi-nation T20 tournament for men's and women's teams. India secured both the top prizes, with Afghanistan and Bangladesh winning silver and bronze respectively among the men, and Sri Lanka and Bangladesh getting silver and bronze in the women's category.
The decision to add cricket to the Olympics 2028 was taken at the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session held in Mumbai during October last year.
"Some of you might be wondering why [cricket] in LA," Niccolo Campriani, director of the LA2028 local organising committee, had said back then announcing the sport's return. "Well, the commitment to grow cricket in the US is real, and it has already happening with the launch of the very first Major League Cricket season earlier this year, which exceeded all expectations. And the [men's] T20 World Cup in 2024 coming to US and West Indies," he concluded.
