Asian Games 2022: cricket set to return as Hangzhou organisers and OCA search for suitable venue
- The Twenty20 format is expected to be included in a provisional list of sports at an Olympic Council of Asia meeting in Bangkok on March 3
Cricket Hong Kong officials are cautiously optimistic amid an effort by the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) to bring the sport back into the Asian Games fold.
Cricket is expected to be included in a provisional 40-sport roster for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China when the OCA holds its general assembly in Bangkok, Thailand on March 3.
Cricket was left out of the Jakarta and Palembang Games last year in Indonesia after two stints in Guangzhou (2010) and Incheon, South Korea (2014).
The sport’s return would be a major boost for Hong Kong, whose cricketers have been hit by reduced funding and support because no Asian Games means no special status at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
“We are aware that the ICC, ACC, China Cricket and the OCA are working hard to ensure cricket’s return to the Asia Games in 2022, for which we are grateful,” said CHK chief executive Justin Pearce. “This latest news is very promising and, if correct, has many positive consequences for high-performance cricket in Hong Kong. We support these efforts 100 per cent.”
The OCA’s honorary life vice-president, Raja Randhir Singh, met Hangzhou Mayor Xu Liyi during a site visit to the city earlier this week and toured proposed venues for the Games. This included the Zhejiang University of Technology grounds, which is a candidate to host cricket matches.