| Cricket at the Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC Code | CKT |
| Governing body | ICC |
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) |
| Summer Olympics | |
| Tournaments (Men・Women) | |
| Part of a series on the |
| International cricket competitions |
|---|
|
Regional bodies |
| ICC Competitions |
| Men's |
| Women's |
| Multi-sport competitions |
| Regional competitions |
Africa |
Americas
|
Asia
|
East-Asia Pacific |
Other |
| Note:Defunct competitions are listed in italics. |
Cricket was played at the1900 Summer Olympics, a men's contest with only two entrants, won byGreat Britain overFrance. It is scheduled to be included again in the2028 Summer Olympics inLos Angeles, withmen's andwomen's Twenty20 tournaments.
Cricket was originally scheduled to be included in the inaugural1896 Summer Olympics, which were held inAthens: cricket would have been the only team sport held at the Games. However, due to insufficient entries the tournament was cancelled.
Cricket was held at the1900 Summer Olympics inParis four years later but only two countries competed, Great Britain and hosts France. The French team was mostly represented by English expatriates, and it is officially considered amixed team[1][2] while the English team was represented by Devon and Somerset Wanderers Cricket Club, so it was not nationally selected. The players were also mostly club cricketers — only the British side had anyfirst-class cricket experience, with eight such games throughSomerset'sMontagu Toller andAlfred Bowerman.[3]
The teams played a two-day match over twoinnings with 12-a-side, so the match did not attract first-class status. Great Britain won the match by 158 runs to win the gold medal:[4][5] if the French had held out for five more minutes, the game would have been declared a draw.[6] Knowledge of the game would have been lost but for the forethought ofJohn Symes, a member of the victorious team, who kept a scorecard in his own writing.
A cricket tournament was scheduled for1904 Summer Olympics held inSt. Louis, but it was cancelled due to a lack of entries.[7]
Many of cricket's governing bodies, including theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and theEngland and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), were long opposed to a return to the Olympics.[8] The ECB withdrew their opposition in 2015,[9] and in March 2017, it was reported thatInternational Cricket Council chiefDave Richardson thought the "time is right" for Olympic cricket.[10] It was also reported that the opposition of the BCCI had softened.[11]
In October 2020,USA Cricket stated that it saw a proposed inclusion of cricket in the2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as a long-term goal.[12][13] In 2020, the BCCI in its Annual General Meeting decided to back the ICC's bid for inclusion ofT20 cricket in 2028 after getting some clarifications from the International Olympic Committee.[14][15][16] In August 2021, the ICC confirmed its plans to bid for the inclusion of cricket at the Olympics, starting with the 2028 and2032 games.[17]
On 9 October 2023, the 2028 Olympic organising committee announced that cricket was on the list of sports they wished to introduce.[18] On 13 October 2023, the IOC announced that the bid was accepted and placed under voting to finalize its inclusion in 2028 during the141st IOC Session inMumbai between 14 and 16 October 2023. It was confirmed on 16 October 2023 that cricket would be featured in the 2028 Olympics as only two IOC members voted against inclusion, featuring both men's and women's T20 tournaments.[19][20][21][22] The LA 2028 Organizing Committee President noted that Indian cricket legendVirat Kohli was one of the main reasons behind the sport's introduction to the Olympic program and thanked him.[23]
The United Kingdom competes at the Olympics asGreat Britain, and includes athletes from fourhome nations ofEngland,Scotland,Wales, andNorthern Ireland, threecrown dependencies ofGuernsey,Jersey, andIsle of Man, and all but three of theBritish Overseas Territories,[a] although athletes from Northern Ireland may also representIreland. In cricket, Scotland hasits own team, theEngland team representsEngland and Wales, and theIreland team representsall of Ireland, although in the past native Irish and Scottish players played for England. In addition, cricketers from theFalkland Islands,Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey andTurks and Caicos Islands, all of whom have theirown teams may also represent Great Britain.
TheWest Indies cricket team covers much of theCaribbean, which has twelve Olympic associations:Antigua and Barbuda,Barbados,British Virgin Islands,Dominica,Grenada,Guyana,Jamaica,Saint Lucia,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,Saint Kitts and Nevis,Trinidad and Tobago andUnited States Virgin Islands. Players from these countries would be eligible to represent their own countries, though it is unsure which, if any, of the above will participate. At the men's event of the1998 Commonwealth Games, onlyAntigua and Barbuda,Barbados, andJamaica entered.[24] At the women's event of the2022 Commonwealth Games, a qualifying tournament was scheduled to be held among the Caribbean nations. However, the tournament was cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic andBarbados were chosen to represent the region.[25]
Additionally, cricketers fromAnguilla andMontserrat, who otherwise play for West Indies, would be eligible for Great Britain at the Olympics, whereas those fromSint Maarten, who also play for West Indies, would be eligible to play for theNetherlands.
| Year | Host | Gold medal match | Bronze medal match | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Result | Silver | Bronze | Result | Fourth place | ||
| 1900 |  Paris |  Great Britain | Great Britain won by 158 runsScorecard | France | Did not happen | ||
| 2028 |  Los Angeles | TBD | TBD | ||||
| Year | Host | Gold medal match | Bronze medal match | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Result | Silver | Bronze | Result | Fourth place | ||
| 2028 | Los Angeles | TBD | TBD | ||||
| Nation | 1900 | 2028 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | G | 1 | |
| France | S | 1 | |
| United States | Q | ||
| Total | 2 | 6 |
| Nation | 2028 | Years |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Q | |
| Total | 6 |
| Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Fourth | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 1 (1900) | 1 | |||
| France | 1 (1900) | 1 |
| Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Fourth | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBD |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | France (FRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (2 entries) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | France (FRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (2 entries) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Rank | > | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals (0 entries) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Games | Venue | Other sports hosted at venues for those games | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris | Vélodrome de Vincennes | Cycling,Football,Gymnastics,Rugby union | [26] | |
| 2028 Los Angeles | Fairplex | [27] |
|  | ||
| Summer sports | |
|---|---|
| Winter sports | |
| 2026 optional | |
| 2028 optional | |
| Past sports | |
| Demonstration sports | |
| Unofficial sports |
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