India do not go to the Asian Games
The International Olympic Committee takes note that the country with the biggest cricket market doesn’t care for such sporting events.
They will realize that there is no guarantee that India will send a team to the Olympics if the sport does become a part of the Olympic program.
Will considerably weaken cricket’s chances of joining the Olympic movement.
If India had gone to the Asian Games
Good TV ratings and attendance figures ( quite possible with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka participating) would have given cricket’s Olympic chances a boost.
The fringe players get a chance to play an international tournament and that is never a bad thing.
An opportunity to win an Asian Games gold. We usually win only 4-5 of those at every event. So, another one would have meant a lot.
An opportunity for an Olympic medal if cricket was included in the Olympic program. And that would have been a huge deal. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar would’ve willingly agreed to play.
All expenses paid trip for Ratnakar Shetty and other BCCI mandarins for the Asian Games and possibly for the Olympics as well.
A chance to complete cricket’s domination of Indian sports. After all, the Asian Games and the Olympics were the only times when a majority of Indian sports fans paid attention to other sports.
The likes of Shashank Manohar and team would get to work with Suresh Kalmadi. They could share best practises and other trade secrets.
There are a few more but I guess the point has already been made.
Just when everyone else is trying to do whatever it takes to get cricket included in the Olympic program, the BCCI have decided to throw a spanner in the works.
The BCCI does not believe in the Olympic movement but they do seem to have borrowed from the Olympic Motto.
Their motto is Atius, Altius Altius.
Just when you think the BCCI can’t get any worse, they come back to dazzle you with a higher level of ineptness which in turn makes your anger levels go higher.
P.S – The BCCI could damage cricket’s chances further. They should bar any cricketer who plays in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or any such event from playing in the IPL. After all, these events like the ICL haven’t been sanctioned by the BCCI.