Last Sunday, on a glorious evening at Lords, with its new floodlights and its immediate neighbourhood brought alive in manner that is not customary in St John’s Wood, we saw the successful conclusion of the ICC Twenty20 cricket World Cup, with Pakistan beating the Sri Lankans. Half of the tournament had been staged in London, with matches divided between the Oval and Lords, and it was fitting that it should close at the ground where it had opened less than three weeks earlier, with the unexpected victory of Holland over England in a dramatic final over.
That opening match boded well for the events that would unfold over the next few weeks. The tournament featured fielding and catching that was routinely breathtaking; umpires who got most things right; the example of Ireland giving encouragement to amateur cricketers all around the world; and England’s victory in the parallel women’s tournament. Completed in less than 18 days, the competition left the fans wanting more.
Quality was the key, and we saw the return of traditional skills like wicket keeping and spin bowling in all its variations, as teams realised that the biff-bang approach doesn’t always work. And London showed what an excellent sporting venue it is, with fans of every nation embracing and enjoying Twenty20 – rather more so than some of the more conservative MCC members, it must be said.
London is the historic home of cricket, and the “spirit of the game” now enshrined in the official rules by the MCC embodies the Olympic ideal of fair play. So hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 can provide the capital with an ideal opportunity to showcase cricket, allowing it to reach a much wider global audience, while in return increasing the appeal of the Olympics amongst cricketing nations that don’t engage as fully with traditional athletics.
Leading cricketers such as Gilchrist, Waugh, Dravid and others have been promoting the inclusion of Twenty20 cricket as a “full” Olympic sport in the 2020 Olympics, under the catchy slogan “Twenty20 for 2020”. As a prelude to that it would be useful if cricket were part of the Games in London 2012 in some form.
In the past, the host Olympic nation has introduced a “demonstration” sport as part of the Games, with the aim that this should become an official Olympic sport in future years. This changed with the removal of demonstration sports at the Beijing Olympics, so host cities are now showcasing local sports as part of the “Cultural Olympiad”.
During the Beijing Olympics “Wushu”, an exhibition and full contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts, was incorporated into the Cultural Olympiad. So if the Chinese can have Wushu, l can’t see why we shouldn’t have cricket in its Twenty20 version incorporated into the London Olympics, given that it is our summer cultural game.
Cricket has been part of the Games in the past – it was last played at the 1900 Olympics, when Great Britain beat France. So with a successful Twenty20 World Cup concluded last Sunday, isn’t it time to think about having cricket returning to the Olympics for 2012?
Last Thursday I went to the US Embassy as invited guest to listen to Barack Obama’s Cairo address. And I came out mightily impressed by the depth and scope of his speech. Drawing on his own personal experience of Muslim-majority countries, which greatly helped convince his audience, the US President outlined the seven crucial issues that in his view need to be resolved for a new beginning in relations between the West and the Muslim world.
Though l do have two concerns. Firstly that, by defining the debate in religious terms, Obama didn’t include those in both the West and Muslim world who have no faith or do not regard their religious affiliation as the primary focus of their life and identity. Many such people exist and have an important contribution to make to this discourse. And secondly, while he touched on almost everything else, he didn’t address the importance of development aid, which has always been a major tool of foreign policy.
We should all welcome Obama’s comments on the occupation of the West Bank and illegal settlements, as this change in language is in itself very significant. In reality, though, he will be judged by his follow-up actions and not simply by his fine words. He needs to make it clear that aid to Israel will be cut if the construction and expansion of illegal settlements continues, as the Economistrecently suggested. Many US citizens will be amazed to hear that the biggest recipient of US aid is affluent Israel and that it has not been going to those in desperate need around the world. Obama also needs close the tax loophole that allows the private funding of illegal settlements by US-based charitable organisations.
Equally, continued US aid to Egypt should be made contingent on moves towards genuine democracy. The Mubarak regime has become much discredited, with its dictatorial nature having been exposed by dissidents, many of whom now live in London. The existing political system does not leave much space if any for those who disagree with Mubarak, and it would in everybody’s interest to democratise Egypt and allow its lively civil society to play a full role in politics. Otherwise, the political vacuum after Mubarak eventually leaves the scene could be filled by an even more repressive regime. Better for Obama to press for democratic reform now rather than leave it till it is too late.
Finally, while l feel much more comfortable with a USA led by Obama, I haven’t forgotten that the key issue for many Londoners with the US Embassy here is that it should pay its outstanding congestion charge bill. That will be something to pursue with the new US ambassador when he arrives. In the meantime, l think it’s time for me to pay a trip to the Al-Azhar, in Cairo.
Having returned from the Champions League final in Rome, l won’t dwell on the football too much, just to say that we didn’t seem to know how to respond after going down 1-0 and we have probably seen the last of Ronaldo sadly. Hence the play on the words of Julius Caesar.
It is clear that all roads lead to Rome, certainly if you look at the way Stadio Olimpico has been managed since the 1960 Rome Olympics. It has both local teams, Roma and Lazio, playing with fanatical support at the stadium on alternative weekends on a pitch around a running track. This is something we are not doing after 2012 with our stadium in London despite all the expenditure on it.
I have also lent my support to a suggestion in a Guardian editorial that the Stadio Olimpico should become the permanent home of the Champions League final, with some provisos. These being that we should not have to show photo ID at the stadium, that a drinking ban on the day is inconsistent with beer firms sponsoring the Champions League, and that the final should be held over a weekend and not mid-week.
Having returned from the Champions League final in Rome, l won’t dwell on the football too much, just to say that we didn’t seem to know how to respond after going down 1-0 and we have probably seen the last of Ronaldo sadly. Hence the play on the words of Julius Caesar.