Cricket fans across the world will be rooting for Rome when the bidding to host the 2024 Olympics begins. Simone Gambino, president of the Federazione Cricket Italiana told a cricket website that if Rome wins the bid to host the 2024 Olympics, cricket will be included as a sport.
Rome is one of the cities bidding to host the 2024 Olympics, alongside Paris, Los Angeles and Budapest. Under the new rules and regulations, the country which gets the opportunity to host the Olympics can add 5 sports as it sees fit.
“If Rome hosts the Olympics, cricket will be included. We have had a firm commitment from the organising committee,” said Gambino.
One spokesman from the Rome 2024 advisory committee gave ample support to Gambino’s statement. The spokesman said, “Roma 2024 would welcome new sports, such as cricket, in the Olympic program also in consideration of the increasing number of people that are actively playing it in Italy.”
He further said that the committee is fully aware that such a decision belongs to the International Olympic Committee and therefore the planning is exclusively based on the indications received from the IOC in Lausanne.
If Rome goes on to win the bid, signs are that all the cricket matches will be played in Bologna. The World Cricket League Division was hosted by the same city in 2010. The only issue that remains is the unavailability of turf pitches. But to solve that issue, Rome will have enough time.
