‘T20 cricket is a very natural fit for Olympics’

NEW YORK: Patrick Sandusky, chief external affairs officer at the US Olympic Committee, has told ESPNcricinfo that “all sports should want to be in the Olympics” and that a T20 competition in the Summer Games would fit well into a 17-day Olympic schedule. Sandusky said that although the decision to accept cricket into the games program is up to the International Olympic Council, he is optimistic an application would have a good chance of being accepted if the ICC decided to submit one.

“I see the Olympics as the pinnacle of sport and the greatest sports festival there is but I think cricket needs to [make a decision] on their own time, whatever that is,” Sandusky said. “I don’t know enough about the internal governance of the ICC and how it would relate into bidding for a potential future slot, but I’d certainly think that Twenty20 cricket at least is a very natural fit in terms of numbers/size of teams, number of days a tournament can be played in and could it fit with an Olympic calendar not unlike a Rugby Sevens tournament.”

Sandusky related cricket to the impact that an Olympics inclusion has had on rugby’s rise in popularity in USA ahead of Rubgy Sevens’ addition for the upcoming Summer Games in Brazil. He felt cricket’s inclusion could be a similar catalyst for a rise in popularity and competitiveness for the USA national team.

“One of the things we have in the United States is we’ve got a lot of people that are really good at hand-eye (coordination), ball, bat and catching,” Sandusky said. “We’ve had success converting American football players into a successful Rugby Sevens team. We now have a Rugby Sevens team going to the Olympics and it’s not inconceivable that they could be a medallist.

“Rugby Sevens didn’t exist as a sport ten years ago in the United States. First and foremost, it’s realistic getting the right things in place to get the right people exposed to the sport. I think we have a lot of athletes out there that have the appropriate skill. Obviously they don’t know the sport itself and the strategies around it but much like Rugby Sevens, I think there’s an opportunity there.”

Sandusky’s involvement in USA’s cricket affairs began last August when he was appointed to advisory committee by the ICC, but initial interest in the sport was piqued while working as part of the 2012 London Olympic bid effort.