Afghanistan Cricket Team Punished By ICC Despite A Stellar World Cup 2023

In response to the dilemma of Afghanistan’s Women cricket players, who were forced into exile following the Taliban’s resurgence to power in 2021, ICC’s CEO, Geoff Allardice put forward a stance that allowed The International Olympic Council (IOC) to hold the reins concerning Afghanistan’s involvement in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and not the International Cricket Council (ICC).

In October 2023, the IOC consented to include T20 cricket, a sport that has gained a lot of popularity amongst Commonwealth countries and younger audiences, in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The decision was influenced by the sport’s potential for expanding into markets such as the United States. IOC approved ICC’s proposal for a six-team format across both Men’s and Women’s contests.

The ICC and LA28 are aiming to establish a competitive structure and qualifying process for teams by 2025. The push for gender equality by the LA28 organizers is quite evident, given that the Olympics event typically features participation from both men and women in individual and team sports.

However, Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team is currently non-operational as it was dissolved after the Taliban came into power in August 2021. The majority of the significant players, 22 out of 25 contracted individuals, have moved abroad since the Taliban took the reign of power in August 2021. However, there is a probability that the Afghanistan Men’s Team will take part in the LA28 Olympics.

Afghanistan Recently Won The Silver Medal In The Asian Games

“In terms of the position of the National Olympic Committee of Afghanistan, it’s probably something for the IOC to be able to address more accurately than me. But I know that they (IOC) have been following the progress or the developments there. Our position on cricket and supporting our member in Afghanistan is not dissimilar to those of other international sporting organizations,” Allardice told BBC.

Afghanistan Men’s Cricket Team took part in the Asian Games which was held in Hangzhou, China. They won the silver medal in the Men’s 20-over Cricket event and were brilliant with their performance while the Women’s team didn’t take part in the Women’s Cricket event.

It is up to the IOC to make a decision regarding Afghanistan’s participation in the LA28 Olympics because Gender equality is a big concern, especially in the United States of America. After the Taliban dissolved the Afghanistan Women’s Team, Countries like Australia and England took a step to not play any bilateral series against Afghanistan in protest of gender equality in Cricket,