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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Scotland have begun exploring the creation of a unified Team Great Britain (Team GB) for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Cricket will make a landmark return to the Olympics in 2028, ending a 128-year hiatus. This will mark only the second time cricket has featured in the Games, the first being in 1900 when Great Britain won the gold medal by defeating France in Paris.
While specifics for cricket’s inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics are still being finalized, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly suggesting a six-team tournament for both men and women. The competition is expected to span approximately one week.
Discussions have started for England and Scotland to compete together as Team Great Britain.
While most nations will field their usual teams for the competition, England and Scotland face a unique challenge. If England qualifies for the tournament, it will compete as Great Britain, a longstanding Olympic tradition.
This situation presents an opportunity to integrate Scottish cricketers, such as Richie Berrington, Brandon McMullen, Brad Currie, and Kathryn Bryce, into Team GB.
Great Britain comprises four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In cricket, England and Wales compete together, while Scottish players are generally represented separately. However, because Scottish athletes compete as part of Team GB in the Olympics, they will join forces with English cricketers to form Team Great Britain.
The ECB will be the designated governing body for Great Britain’s cricket team.
Reports indicate that the ECB and Cricket Scotland have begun preliminary talks about collaborating under the Team GB banner. Cricket Scotland is enthusiastic about ensuring its cricketers play a significant role in this endeavor and is eager to contribute both players and staff. Despite this, the ECB will be designated as the governing body for the united team.
“With the Los Angeles Olympics four years away, it’s very early stages, but we’re talking to Team GB and Cricket Scotland about the next steps we need to take,” an ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“Once again Great Britain’s Olympians have captured the national imagination with their exploits in Paris this year, and we look forward to working together to compete when cricket returns to the Olympic stage in 2028.”
“Along with England and Wales hosting Women’s and Men’s [T20] World Cups in 2026 and 2030, it’s another great opportunity to grow the game and inspire more people to develop a love for cricket,” the spokesperson added.
The 2030 Men’s T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by England, Ireland, and Scotland. Additionally, England is set to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026.
Andy Anson unveils Great Britain’s strategy for the LA 2028 Olympics.
Andy Anson, the chief executive of the British Olympic Association, expressed confidence in successfully assembling the teams for the LA 2028 Olympics. He highlighted their valuable experience in team formation across various sports as a strong asset in this endeavor.
“We’ve got good experience in golf, in rugby and in women’s football, of how the Four Nations [England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland] can come together and nominate one country to be the main governing body and work with the other countries. So I think cricket will be the same.”
“The ECB will be at the centre of that. They’ll have to work with Cricket Scotland to make sure that happens properly. We will help them sign agreements to come together and create a single national governing body, as we have done in those other sports. We are working very closely with the ECB to make them become the fully fledged National Olympic Committee member,” Anson said.
While athletes from England and Scotland will join forces, it remains unclear which team Northern Ireland cricketers will represent. Players from Northern Ireland will have the option to choose between competing for Team Great Britain or Ireland. Notably, some leading cricketers from Northern Ireland, such as Paul Stirling and Mark Adair, currently play for Ireland.
