Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday strongly slammed the International Cricket Council over ‘unfair’ qualification process for Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
The international media reported that CWI Chief Executive Johnny Grave voiced his concerns against what he termed as unilateral decisions by ICC Chairman Jay Shah. He stated that the current qualification criteria for the 2028 Olympics are unjust and do not give the West Indies team a fair chance to qualify directly.
CWI expressed frustration over the qualification rules for cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, stating that despite their competitive standing, West Indies has not been granted automatic qualification.
Johnny Grave further said that smaller nations are being discriminated against within the ICC, and labeled the decisions as political, aimed at weakening less powerful cricketing nations. “We will not accept such treatment,” he asserted.
Cricket is set to return to the Olympics after 128 years, with the T20 format to be played in both men’s and women’s events at the Los Angeles Games, each featuring six teams.
Currently, the West Indies men’s team is ranked 5th and the women’s team 6th in the ICC T20 International rankings. However, uncertainty looms over their participation as the ICC has yet to announce the official qualification deadline for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, ICC Chairman Jay Shah—often perceived as India-aligned—has not issued any response to the criticism.
However, the analysts suggest the issue may further strain cricketing relations between India and the West Indies.
The last time cricket was played in the Olympics was during the 1900 Paris Games. The sport is now making a historic return after more than a century.
Los Angeles Olympics 2028 to mark return of cricket after a century
