IOC will decide if Afghanistan play in the Olympics – ICC CEO Allardice

Afghanistan’s participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is in the hands of the International Olympics Council (IOC), not the International Cricket Council (ICC), ICC’s chief executive officer Geoff Allardice said.

In October the IOC approved the LA28’s recommendation of adding T20 cricket as a new sport, convinced by its popularity across the Commonwealth countries as well as the younger generation, along with the potential it brings for growth in markets such as the USA, espncricinfo.com reported.

In its proposal, the ICC had recommended a six-team event for both the men’s and women’s competitions which was approved by the IOC. By 2025, the LA28 and ICC will work out a competition structure as well as the way in which teams can qualify for the event.

The LA28 organisers have stressed on gender equality at the Olympics, which normally sees participation from both genders in individual and team sports. However, Afghanistan currently do not have a women’s cricket team.

“(In) the Olympic competition teams are fielded by the National Olympic Committees of those countries,” Allardice told the BBC’s Stumped podcast. “As an international sporting federation, we position our sport with the LA28 organisers for inclusion. And the IOC and they (LA28) have included cricket. In terms of the position of the National Olympic Committee of Afghanistan, it’s probably something for the IOC to be able to address more accurately than me. But I know that they (IOC) have been following the progress or the developments there. Our position on cricket and supporting our member in Afghanistan is not dissimilar to those of other international sporting organisations.”