Cricket has been officially added to the sport rostrum of the Asian Games, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has announced.
The decision to approve a proposal to include cricket in the Games during November 2010 in Guangzhou, was taken at the OCA General Assembly in Kuwait this week.
Both men’s and women’s cricket teams will participate in the Twenty20 format. The four one-day playing Asian countries - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh – will compete alongside host nation China which automatically qualifies. Other Asian countries will have to play a qualifying round to fight it out for additional three spots.
“India and Pakistan were the drivers. Pakistan and India will come with their best teams because it will be a big competition,” said OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.
Forty-two disciplines will be featured in the Guangzhou Games, three more than at the 2006 Games in Doha. More than 14,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions will compete in 42 sports.
