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Cricket should not be in Olympics: Christie

What do you guys think? So why are other team sports in Olympics and not cricket.

Cricketers might be excited at the idea of competing in Olympics but former champion Linford Christie has strongly opposed it, fearing the sport would "hamper" prospects of individual disciplines which wait for the Games to showcase their talents to the world.

"Team sports like cricket should not be included in the Olympics. Olympics is a personal game where sportsman tries to excel within himself," the 48-year-old 100 metre champion told PTI.

"It would be unfair to include cricket in the Olympics as the players of other sports, especially of individual events wait for the single day to happen and show their talents," he added.

Christie, the only British athlete to win 100 metre race gold medals in Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European championships, feels including cricket in the Olympics could be detrimental to other disciplines.

Cricket wherever is popular, "hampers other sports, but it is the governments who should take corrective measures to ensure that individual sports also get their due," said Christie, who won the gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in 100 metre.

The Jamaica-born British sprinter, who also won silver medals in Seoul Olympics in 100 metre and 4x100 metre relay, said Olympics was for individual sportsman.

"Olympics is the lifeline. The player waits for this day after long four years to showcase his talent and also to let the world know about him," he said.

[Mick]

I really think it would be a good idea to add the Twenty20 format into Olympics as that would give a real punch to the games.

If other atheletes think that it will hammer other sports then they should also think that it will give them more adrenaline rush to break more records

[Satya_love]

According to me cricket is a game which needs a lot of time to get results.Ya with the coming of 20-20 format it has reduced the time factor but still the hurdle in the way is that cricket is not as common in other countries of the world and only a few of them know and play well.Thats the major fact why cricket is not included in olympics.