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"We Deserve An Opportunity": Windies Cricket Pushes For Olympics Participation

Aakash Saini

West Indies players [Source: @windiescricket/x]West Indies players [Source: @windiescricket/x]

West Indies Cricket has written a letter to Olympics in a bid to get an opportunity in the 2028 games in Los Angeles. However, Olympics only allow sovereign countries to participate in the games while West Indies cricket team function as a composite of 15 Caribbean nation-states and territories.

Cricket West Indies President Kishore Swallow has said that athletes from the Caribbean have always done well in the Olympics, and it is time for West Indies cricket players to get an opportunity as well.

West Indies Cricket bids for Olympics 2028

Cricket West Indies believes that the West Indies cricket team also deserves a shot at the Olympics 2028 in Los Angeles, even though the games only allow participation from sovereign countries.

However, the downside behind West Indies’ ambition is that the entire Caribbean Islands must operate as a single team if they qualify. For instance, while Cuba is a separate cricket team, they will come under the West Indies umbrella at the Olympics 2028 in case of participation.

“The Caribbean has always punched above its weight at the Olympics, inspiring the world with our athletic brilliance. Cricket’s return to the Games in 2028 must not exclude our young cricketers from the same dream that has inspired our athletes. The Olympic Charter emphasises fairness, transparency, and universality. We are simply asking that these principles be upheld—not just in spirit, but in structure. West Indies cricket must have a pathway, and fully deserve an opportunity to compete.” 

The West Indies cricket team is currently ranked fifth on the ICC rankings for men’s T20Is. Earlier this year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that six teams will be participating in the men’s event of the Olympics 2028. There are chances that hosts USA will gain a direct entry into the cricket’s competition, despite being ranked much lower on the T20I rankings.

In such a case, the West Indies team needs to make sure that it remains one of the top five teams as of a specific date to claim a qualification. As of now, the West Indies cricket team is slated to play a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series against Ireland in Dublin and Bready.