Aussies Brisbane 2032 - What sports should be included?

[St Kilda Senators]

As you may be aware beginning this year hosts can add a handful of sports to their Olympics, that will not necessarily be a permanent fixture. I'm not Australian, but I'm curious to see what you Aussies think. The events currently slated to be added:

2020(1) - Baseball/Softball, Karate, Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2024 - Breaking (Break Dancing), Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2028 - TBD, although baseball/softball is a huge favourite for the US, and flag football is reportedly going to bid. Also cricket is bidding, but I presume they want regular event status even though Wikipedia isn't clear.

For Brisbane I think the following:

T20 Cricket - Popular sport in Australia and world wide

Rugby League 9s - Another sport that is popular in Australia with popularity elsewhere in the world too. Like rugby union using the 7s at the Olympics, the 9s could be played.

And that is where I get stuck. Obviously Aussie Rules comes to mind, but the big hurdle would likely be how it is nearly exclusively Australian. Are there any other sports that are popular in Australia, but aren't in the Olympics? What about events? For that the first think that springs to my mind is stableford scoring in golf, which is basically never used here in North America, but from my understanding is widespread in Australia.

 

[catstorm]

As you may be aware beginning this year hosts can add a handful of sports to their Olympics, that will not necessarily be a permanent fixture. I'm not Australian, but I'm curious to see what you Aussies think. The events currently slated to be added:

2020(1) - Baseball/Softball, Karate, Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2024 - Breaking (Break Dancing), Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2028 - TBD, although baseball/softball is a huge favourite for the US, and flag football is reportedly going to bid. Also cricket is bidding, but I presume they want regular event status even though Wikipedia isn't clear.

For Brisbane I think the following:

T20 Cricket - Popular sport in Australia and world wide

Rugby League 9s - Another sport that is popular in Australia with popularity elsewhere in the world too. Like rugby union using the 7s at the Olympics, the 9s could be played.

And that is where I get stuck. Obviously Aussie Rules comes to mind, but the big hurdle would likely be how it is nearly exclusively Australian. Are there any other sports that are popular in Australia, but aren't in the Olympics? What about events? For that the first think that springs to my mind is stableford scoring in golf, which is basically never used here in North America, but from my understanding is widespread in Australia.

Lawn Bowls
Netball

 

[gbear]

Netball
Squash
Surfing

 

[BobbyMorri]

As you may be aware beginning this year hosts can add a handful of sports to their Olympics, that will not necessarily be a permanent fixture. I'm not Australian, but I'm curious to see what you Aussies think. The events currently slated to be added:

2020(1) - Baseball/Softball, Karate, Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2024 - Breaking (Break Dancing), Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2028 - TBD, although baseball/softball is a huge favourite for the US, and flag football is reportedly going to bid. Also cricket is bidding, but I presume they want regular event status even though Wikipedia isn't clear.

For Brisbane I think the following:

T20 Cricket - Popular sport in Australia and world wide

Rugby League 9s - Another sport that is popular in Australia with popularity elsewhere in the world too. Like rugby union using the 7s at the Olympics, the 9s could be played.

And that is where I get stuck. Obviously Aussie Rules comes to mind, but the big hurdle would likely be how it is nearly exclusively Australian. Are there any other sports that are popular in Australia, but aren't in the Olympics? What about events? For that the first think that springs to my mind is stableford scoring in golf, which is basically never used here in North America, but from my understanding is widespread in Australia.

From what I understand, there are 25 core sports and we get to pick 3 from a list of recognised sports. Surfing will definitely be in 2032. so that leaves 2 more.

Squash
finally squash. please. no other sport deserves it more. no other sport needs it as much as Squash. People love playing it in Aus. Really is now or never for squash

Netball would be a funny one. super popular here but lacks a men's comp and is dominated by a few nations. Would the IOC introduce a sport just for one sex? Would they be willing to give Australia a free medal. I remain doubtful but they have applied in previous years.

If cricket ever wanted to become an Olympic sport, 2032 should be their aim. I still dont know how it would really work. Having a cricket pitch and a bunch of ovals is expensive. I still think cricket is too big and too complicated. They need another form of cricket like 7's.

Aussie Rules and Rugby league nines are no chance. Aussie Rules is not global and Rugby 9's is basically Rugby 7's.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Whilst the home

As you may be aware beginning this year hosts can add a handful of sports to their Olympics, that will not necessarily be a permanent fixture. I'm not Australian, but I'm curious to see what you Aussies think. The events currently slated to be added:

2020(1) - Baseball/Softball, Karate, Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2024 - Breaking (Break Dancing), Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing

2028 - TBD, although baseball/softball is a huge favourite for the US, and flag football is reportedly going to bid. Also cricket is bidding, but I presume they want regular event status even though Wikipedia isn't clear.

For Brisbane I think the following:

T20 Cricket - Popular sport in Australia and world wide

Rugby League 9s - Another sport that is popular in Australia with popularity elsewhere in the world too. Like rugby union using the 7s at the Olympics, the 9s could be played.

And that is where I get stuck. Obviously Aussie Rules comes to mind, but the big hurdle would likely be how it is nearly exclusively Australian. Are there any other sports that are popular in Australia, but aren't in the Olympics? What about events? For that the first think that springs to my mind is stableford scoring in golf, which is basically never used here in North America, but from my understanding is widespread in Australia.

Can they?? The IOC still have to give formal approval and have the final vote.

I think hosts can recommend sports but they still have to pass all the standard criteria, ie the international federation for the sport has to be recognized by the IOC and there has to be decent coverage across the 5 continents (they consider North and South America as the America's), has to pass gender equality criteria re men and women competitor numbers is equal or nearly equal and a few other things like participation and TV impact.

The AFL isn't a recognized sport as its not a member of The Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) so it wont get in.

Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The last demonstration sports were in Barcelona,

 

[Jeremias]

T20 cricket would be good I reckon and there are more than enough countries who play it/who could field a team.

ICC rankings extend down to 82 nations. Obviously most are minnows and only the more established teams have any real hope of winning a medal but that's no different to some of the other sports.

Squash is a great shout too IMO, and Lawn Bowls has a case.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Squash meets all the major criteria except for one important one - it has bugger all IOC members who are fans or have played it. It deserves to be in as much as badminton and table tennis. It even invented glass walls so you can have spectators in the round for it.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

T20 cricket would be good I reckon and there are more than enough countries who play it/who could field a team.

ICC rankings extend down to 82 nations. Obviously most are minnows and only the more established teams have any real hope of winning a medal but that's no different to some of the other sports.

Squash is a great shout too IMO, and Lawn Bowls has a case.

Cricket actually is good on covering the continents component, just not in Europe.

There are plenty minnow nations, just like in the current 8 team sports at the Olympics (calling baseball and softball one sport). If you split up the Windies then the following nations have played in an ODI World Cup and / or T20 World Cup.

Americas
Canada has played in 2 maybe 3 ODI World Cups
Jamaica
Barbados
Trinidad and Tobago
Antigua
Guyana on the South American mainland
and are all separate nations for Olympics
USA has a schools T20 development program and sub continental immigrants have set up heaps of clubs and leagues.

Africa
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya

Europe
Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands played in ODI World Cup

Asia
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan
Hong Kong, Nepal, Oman, and UAE have all plaid in T20 WC.

Oceania
Australia, New Zealand, PNG

ICC might have to spend $1 bil in development funding over a decade to help with any bid.

 

[BobbyMorri]

Lawn Bowls would be easy for us. Brisbane would already have the facilities in place, a good chance for a medal and played around the commonwealth(hong kong, Malaysia, Africa, not just UK and Aus/NZ)

But it might be too "old". The IOC(BCCI) is all about the youth atm. we would have pressure to have all those "hip" sports the young play. Really depends on how popular these youth sports will be at Tokyo/Paris. Breaking, skateboarding, Surfing, Climbing. If these do well, they will be hard to dislodge.

On cricket. I think it depends more on the ICC than the IOC. IOC would benefit from TV revenue from the sub-continent. Not just India or Pakistan. Bangladesh and Sri Lanks sent a total of 16 athletes to Rio. The IOC love money and superstars. They would love to get their hands on Kolhi, Sachin to promote the games to India.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Why isn’t cricket an Olympic sport? It’s bigger than baseball. I’d think it’s surely a no brainer for Brisbane who already have the infrastructure for it.

Netball would be another good one.

It obviously won’t happen but I’d love to see Aussie Rules just so we could have our own version of the Dream Team. We’d blow everyone out by 100+. There would probably be some stupid scores produced.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Lawn Bowls would be easy for us. Brisbane would already have the facilities in place, a good chance for a medal and played around the commonwealth(hong kong, Malaysia, Africa, not just UK and Aus/NZ)

But it might be too "old". The IOC(BCCI) is all about the youth atm. we would have pressure to have all those "hip" sports the young play. Really depends on how popular these youth sports will be at Tokyo/Paris. Breaking, skateboarding, Surfing, Climbing. If these do well, they will be hard to dislodge.

On cricket. I think it depends more on the ICC than the IOC. IOC would benefit from TV revenue from the sub-continent. Not just India or Pakistan. Bangladesh and Sri Lanks sent a total of 16 athletes to Rio. The IOC love money and superstars. They would love to get their hands on Kolhi, Sachin to promote the games to India.

The IOC wont get a massive $$ bump from TV rights and sponsors - initially, but the Indian Olympic Committee will and they can leverage off cricket being included and they argue to the IOC as part of cricket's bid that once India starts getting behind Olympics and Olympic sports, the IOC can add figures similar to China watching the Olympics post 2032.

India doesn't have many sports heros outside Cricket - some hockey players - but not too many others. They are sending about 120 people to compete in Tokyo and 32 are the 2 hockey team players. They have won 9 gold and 28 medals, hockey has contributed 8 and 11 to these totals. Their other gold came in Beijing from shooting which they tend to dominate at the Comm Games the last 20 years. A few wrestlers and badminton players have won minor medals since Sydney. They didn't win a medal at 1984,88, and 92 games.

I listened to a few podcasts over summer by the Final Word cricket guys Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins who looked at the history of Oz-India cricket and one episode was on cricket on Indian TV was about an hour podcast, plus Andy Collins last English summer with an English guy called Daniel Norcross did a 6 part hour long per podcast series on the history of radio and TV broadcasting of cricket and 1 show was on Indian broadcasting.

And the Greatest Season that Ever Was podcast series from January to March on India and Australia cricket history (Adam Collins was 1 of 3 commentators) started with Hasha Bogle, then had Gavin Robertson, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Fleming, Michael Kasprowicz, Colin Miller and journo Mike Coward look at the build up to and the result of an the legacy of the famous 2000-01 test series in India.

Harsha Bhogle talked about how in 1991 the new Indian government opened up the economy to world thru economic deregulation, as the country had almost no foreign reserves, so they needed foreign investment. ESPN entered the sports TV market, then Star Sports and many other TV broadcasters came to India and multinational companies across all industries.

Per capita consumption in the Indian market become the big driver for foreign multinationals. How did they get access to Indians - thru movies and thru cricket and if you could combine the 2, even better.

Pay TV became almost ubiquitous and there was many free community type illegal connections - 1 connection connects 30 homes, but only 1 subscription fee paid - so they went with the keep it cheap, and the subscription fee was never going to earn the TV companies enough money, but the real earner became advertising, so lots of ads, which attracts lots of sponsors - Harsha said you can now get every pay station maybe 200 channels, for 400-500 Rupee a month basically $8AUD. Allowing for purchasing power parity its probably like $30 a month. The opposite Pay TV model to what there is in Oz, Uk, USA etc.

Tendulkar comes on the scene becomes a superstar by the mid 1990's, the WC in 1996 is shared between Pakistan/India/Sri Lanka but India TV is the host broadcaster and brings in the best from all around the world, production plus commentators, India start winning ODI's everywhere - except for the WC, Pepsi sponsors Tendulkar, hires Bollywood stars and they make ads like Tendulkar is a Bollywood movie and he is the star. This is how Indian TV rights when from deriving bugger all to the biggest driver of cricket revenue around the world and why the BCCI basically run the game and the ICC whilst an international governing body place second fiddle to them.

Cricket at the Olympics wont make such an impact on India TV, like cricket in the mid 90's did, but it could help revolutionize the monies that flow into other sports if the Indian OC can derive funds from it and then fund other sports and they produce national heroes.

What cricket ie the ICC can say to IOC voting members is that at 18 million people, India has the largest diaspora in the world, they are just about all cricket nuts and they will add a decent chunk of viewership in those TV markets if cricket gets a gig.

So you not only get Indians to watch the Olympics and help develop Olympics but you get the diaspora watching. And the diaspora especially in the USA, many of the Fortune 500 CEO's, CFO's, COO's, CIO's, CMO's CTO's etc are part of that Indian diaspora and if cricket draws them into the Olympics, they might push for the companies they run or are senior executives in, to jump on the Olympic sports' sponsorship bandwagon.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Why isn’t cricket an Olympic sport? It’s bigger than baseball. I’d think it’s surely a no brainer for Brisbane who already have the infrastructure for it.

Netball would be another good one.

It obviously won’t happen but I’d love to see Aussie Rules just so we could have our own version of the Dream Team. We’d blow everyone out by 100+. There would probably be some stupid scores produced.

Its not played in as many countries as baseball, baseball is played across the Americas and Asia at a high level, and the USA got it in when the TV $$$ took a massive jump in 1984, they started it as a demo sport at LA in 1984 and so did Seoul 4 years later, so it was made a full sport in 1992 and with Softball being the female equivalent

Plus no team sport in the Olympics goes for 7 hours a day, so cricket wasn't a feasible option until T20 came along and got its own world cup and women started playing it at a decent level.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Its not played in as many countries as baseball, baseball is played across the Americas and Asia at a high level, and the USA got it in when the TV $$$ took a massive jump in 1984, they started it as a demo sport at LA in 1984 and so did Seoul 4 years later, so it was made a full sport in 1992 and with Softball being the female equivalent

Plus no team sport in the Olympics goes for 7 hours a day, so cricket wasn't a feasible option until T20 came along and got its own world cup and women started playing it at a decent level.

So what I’m getting here is that Brisbane would be a very good starting place for cricket at the Olympics?

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

So what I’m getting here is that Brisbane would be a very good starting place for cricket in the Olympics.

As good as anywhere, apart from if India got to host the games and start there.

 

[JohnZ]

The biggest issue with Cricket getting up for the 2032 games is AFL venues. If the olympics is in Feb or Nov it works, if they're in June/July I don't see how it could, all the AFL venues would be kaput for 12 weeks.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

The biggest issue with Cricket getting up for the 2032 games is AFL venues. If the olympics is in Feb or Nov it works, if they're in June/July I don't see how it could, all the AFL venues would be kaput for 12 weeks.

You play them in Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, MacKay etc and maybe take Alan Border Field and somehow put in 30,000 temporary seats.

 

[JohnZ]

You play them in Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, MacKay etc and maybe take Alan Border Field and somehow put in 30,000 temporary seats.

You can, just feels like a missed opportunity. You have these iconic venues (MCG, SCG, AO) that aren't seen on the world stage, would be great to use them (seeing as the Gabba will be athletics).

 

[BobbyMorri]

You can, just feels like a missed opportunity. You have these iconic venues (MCG, SCG, AO) that aren't seen on the world stage, would be great to use them (seeing as the Gabba will be athletics).

Could play in the Docklands, If the AFL agrees to that. That would be something.

But yeah, northern Australia. I dont see that as a bad thing. It would be good for Darwin, Cairns, Alice etc etc.

There is always the football(soccer) tournament, but that is scheduled at AAMI Park and Sydney Football Stadium.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Just to confirm, it wouldn’t be possible for the AFL to be played at the MCG/AO/SCG/Optus pretty much right up until the Olympics kick off, then recommence immediately after the Olympics are complete?

 

[gtrxuone]

Maby a T10 cricket tournament in the Olympics.Tv ratings for last summers Aust v India test summer.Where off the charts in Asia.Huge viewimg audiences.

 

[JohnZ]

Just to confirm, it wouldn’t be possible for the AFL to be played at the MCG/AO/SCG/Optus pretty much right up until the Olympics kick off, then recommence immediately after the Olympics are complete?

Would need 2-3 weeks either side. Lots of behind the scenes work for broadcast, advertising, ground preparation (if cricket) etc.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Would need 2-3 weeks either side. Lots of behind the scenes work for broadcast, advertising, ground preparation (if cricket) etc.

Expected as much. AFL could probably find a way to work around it if it was 2 weeks either side by having bye rounds across those 4 weeks and playing games at more regional venues, and simply shutting it down while the Olympics are on. Wouldn’t exactly be pretty but it’s a solution.

 

[Romeoh1]

Like there’s not enough cricket already.

 

[Alfonz]

I would add Downhill to the mountain bike roster. XC and DH are often held in the same location during the world cup season and always together for the world champs. Cairns hosted the worlds a few years back. Downhill races are hectic and make for great viewing.

 

[pepsi]

Should definitely bring in cricket for these OG.