Olympic Council of Asia Bats for Cricket in Asiad

DUBAI — The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has defended its decision to include cricket in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, in November 2010, a press release said.

Cricket — hugely popular in South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but virtually unknown in East Asia — will be one of five sports to debut at the 2010 Asiad, along with dance sport, dragon boat racing, roller sports and weiqi/xiangqi of chess sports.

At a press conference in Hanoi on Sunday to promote the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, sports officials were asked why cricket was being included for a Chinese audience.

“The concept of the Asian Games, since its foundation in 1913, is to promote Asian culture and to make peace through sport,” replied the OCA’s Director General, Husain Al Musallam.

“Cricket is a popular sport in Asia, an old sport in the Indian sub-continent. I don’t know how many million people play cricket in India but I know it is more than they play football in Europe.”

Captain Husain added that the Asian Games in China could popularise cricket in East Asia and in West Asia, and expressed his surprise that a qualifying tournament in Kuwait had attracted 12 countries.

“We thank Guangzhou for accepting this sport and for understanding the culture of cricket and the Asian Games,” he said.

“Badminton has been promoted all over the world through the Asian Games, so why not cricket? Who knows, in 25 years it might be in the Olympic Games.”

Xu Ruisheng, Vice Mayor of Guangzhou, and Executive Deputy Secretary General of GAGOC, said organisers were making special efforts to promote the likes of cricket, sepak takraw and kabaddi to the local public, while expecting basketball, table tennis and badminton to be the most popular attractions in one year’s time.