Bid for cricket's inclusion in Olympics is Not a money making Exercise: ICC CEO Allardice

ICC CEO Geoff Allardice on Sunday said the ICC's bid for cricket's inclusion in the Olympics games curriculum is not aimed at making money, but it's all about making way for the sport to grow its global reach in the non-cricketing market.

Notable, cricket's inclusion at the Olympics games is just a gentle reminder for the different countries to create more awareness of the game's facilities and provide high-performance assistance for the game's growth in their respective countries.

However, ICC CEO Allardice made the statement after women's T20 is set to debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. More importantly, the men's competition debuted at the Commonwealth Games 1998 in Kuala Lumpur.

 "In many of our members, being seen as an Olympic sport and having an association with the government and the national Olympic movement will be really beneficial in terms of facilities and high-performance assistance," Allardice was quoted as saying in SEN Radio show.

 "The other one is allowing all of our 106 members to engage more closely with their governments."

 "In some countries, being an Olympic sport gets you closer to your government than not being an Olympic sport," he further added.

Last year, the ICC had confirmed its intention to bid for cricket's inclusion in the Olympic Games. Hence, the world body is working to become an essential part of the Olympic family for the 2028 Los Angeles, 2032 Brisbane Games and beyond. In addition, it will help build a strong relationship with respective governments in many of its member nations.