The Hindu : Sport : No cricket at Doha Asian Games

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 13, 2005

Sport

Sport - Sports : General

No cricket at Doha Asian Games

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 12. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has dropped cricket from the 2006 Doha Asian Games schedule. Within a year of making the announcement, the OCA was forced to backtrack on cricket as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) refused to commit about the participation of top players and the best teams in Doha. The decision was taken at the 43rd Executive Board meeting of the OCA in Kuwait on February 5.

"Cricket bodies must understand the use of multi-sport games. Without the top players we would not have cricket on the schedule,'' said the OCA Secretary General, Randhir Singh.

The ACC, in fact, had a suggestion of having under-19 teams from the top Asian cricketing nations for the Asian Games — just the same way the world football body, FIFA, regulates the players for the Olympic Games.

"If you (the ACC) want to spread the popularity of cricket in non-cricketing nations, Asian Games was the best platform. They should have wider outlook of the scenario,'' said Randhir Singh.

Despite world champion Australia hosting the next Games (Melbourne 2006), cricket finds no place.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport