ST JOHN’S: Cricket West Indies (CWI) has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ensure that Caribbean nations have the opportunity to qualify for the cricket tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, warning against the region being “shut out of history.”
Cricket will make its Olympic return in 2028 for the first time since 1900, featuring a six-team T20 event for both men’s and women’s competitions.
While the ICC has yet to announce the qualification criteria, concerns are growing within the West Indies. Despite being a long-standing major international cricket force and geographically close to Los Angeles, the Caribbean’s constituent countries risk exclusion from the Games.
This is because, although Barbados, Jamaica (home of sprint legend Usain Bolt), Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago compete collectively under the West Indies banner in cricket, they compete as separate nations at the Olympics.
If qualification is determined solely by world rankings, the Caribbean could see no representation at all in the cricket event.
“All we are asking is that our individual nations’ exceptional Olympic legacy be recognized in these discussions,” said CWI Chief Executive Chris Dehring on Thursday.
“Our countries have proudly raised their own flags atop Olympic podiums as consistent gold medallists. Now, with cricket’s inclusion, we must ensure our cricketers aren’t excluded from making history. We stand ready to collaborate and compete, but above all, we seek fairness.”
CWI acknowledges that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is unlikely to permit a West Indies team at LA 2028, despite the men’s team having won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, with the women’s team securing the equivalent global title.
In a letter to the ICC, CWI proposed two options for Caribbean representation:
- An inter-Caribbean qualifying tournament could be held if the West Indies men’s or women’s team reaches a qualifying spot, with the winner earning the regional berth.
- Alternatively, a dedicated regional qualifying process could be organized, involving each of the independent Caribbean nations separately.
CWI President Kishore Shallow emphasized, “The Caribbean has always exceeded expectations at the Olympics, inspiring the world with our athletic excellence. Cricket’s return to the Games in 2028 must not prevent our young cricketers from pursuing the same dreams that have inspired our athletes.”
