Golf’s absentees from Rio 2016 Olympics ‘threaten to ruin’ cricket’s bid to be in Games

McIlroy one of the stars name to pull out of the Rio games
(Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Standard Sport15 July 2016

Cricket chiefs fear the game’s chances of becoming an Olympic sport might be damaged by the high-profile withdrawals of golfers from next month’s Rio Games.

Golf’s return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 has been hit by the decision of the top four male golfers in the world to pull out because of fears about the Zika virus.

Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy will not be participating and ICC chief executive Dave Richardson fears a ripple effect.

He said: “The IOC made it clear from the start that if we want to persuade them, they want the top teams and the top athletes.

“This experience with golf might have made it even harder for us to get in because we will have to convince them our top teams and players will be there.

“Will cricketers regard it as the pinnacle, or would they prefer a World Twenty20, a World Cup, an Ashes series? And if it’s not the pinnacle, should we be in the Olympics in the first place?”

Twenty male golfers have now pulled out of Rio — in contrast, there is an almost full-strength line-up in the women’s game — and the absence of so many of the top men has raised the question over whether golf deserves to be in the Games.

Cricket, meanwhile, has struggled to venture into new markets away from its traditional strongholds and the ICC have decided to apply for the inclusion of women’s cricket at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Durban.

The ICC have also been exploring the possibility of getting the sport added to the Olympic programme and president of the Italian cricket board, Simone Gambino, has said it would be included in the 2024 Olympics should Rome win the bid to host the Games.

Richardson confirmed cricket’s shortest Twenty20 format was being considered for the Olympics. “The majority of ICC members believe that if cricket was at the Olympics it could do wonders for globalising the game,” he added.

“The World Twenty20 gets a lot of viewers but it attracts current cricket fans. To globalise the game, we have to be at the Olympics.”

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