Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the Men’s T20 World Cup could impact India’s 2036 Olympic bid amid concerns at the International Olympic Committee over the possible politicization of the sport.
Bangladesh pulled out of next month’s tournament last weekend after the International Cricket Council rejected a request to move their group matches from India to co-host Sri Lanka, following a protracted political row sparked by Kolkata Knight Riders’ decision to drop Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League squad.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly in the past month since the death of a Hindu man in northern Bangladesh led to violent street clashes, with Calcutta saying it acted on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Pakistan is also said to be considering boycotting the T20 World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. A final decision is expected this weekend.
While the decision to insist that Bangladesh, who were replaced by Scotland during the tournament, remain in India was taken by the ICC, the BCCI is said to have lobbied the ICC not to allow the move. While the ICC says its board is independent, it has a history of making decisions that favor the BCCI, such as giving India a guaranteed semi-final in Guyana at the 2024 T20 World Cup for broadcasting and financial reasons.
The BBCI does has enormous influence at the ICC level and has close ties with the Indian government. ICC chairman Jay Shah was previously secretary of the BCCI and his father, Amit Shah, is home minister in Narendra Modi’s government.
The CEO of the ICC is Sanjog Gupta, who was previously CEO of sports and live experiences at JioStar, the media conglomerate that has exclusive TV rights in India for all ICC events.
The political row comes at a bad time for India, which, after being confirmed last month as host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, is bidding to host the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad, with Qatar seen as its biggest rival.
However, the IOC’s tolerance for political interference is much less than that of the ICC. One source says it is inconceivable that India would be awarded the Games if there is a risk that other countries will boycott as a result.
The Olympic Charter requires sports organizations to operate independently and control their own rules and governance, free from outside political influence, while Article 50.2 explicitly prohibits the expression of political or religious opinions at the Games.
The IOC’s zero-tolerance approach was last illustrated last October when Indonesia was suspended from any dialogue on hosting future Olympic events as sanction for refusing to grant visas to the Israeli team for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta. Indonesia was also in the race to host 2036 before falling at the first hurdle.
International cricket politics could play a major role in the battle for the 2036 Olympics, with the sport returning to the Los Angeles Games in two years for the first time since 1900, and also scheduled for Brisbane 2032. The inclusion of cricket in the Olympic program is a deliberate attempt by the IOC to woo the Indian market, but it will not do so at any cost.
Pakistan’s matches in the T20 World Cup will take place in Sri Lanka in reprisal for India refusing to play across the border in the Champions Trophy last year, and the two countries will no longer participate in bilateral series.
The IOC source added that India will have to show strong signs of improving relations with Pakistan and Bangladesh to be considered a credible Olympic host.
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