Aspiring India Cricketers To Be Turned Into Baseball Gamers For Olympics? Sports activities Ministry Says “Utterly…” | Olympics Information

The Sports activities ministry has rejected hypothesis that it might contemplate harnessing the nation’s large pool of aspiring cricketers to show them into baseball medal prospects on the Asian Video games or Olympics, saying that such an concept has by no means been mentioned or thought-about at any stage. A ministry supply mentioned that ideas that this got here up for dialogue on the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) assembly earlier this week are “incorrect”, declaring that baseball just isn’t even a recognised nationwide federation at this level.

“That is utterly imaginary. Baseball just isn’t even recognised by the ministry. Why will SAI (Sports activities Authority of India) get into cricket or turning cricket gamers into baseball gamers?” a senior ministry supply mentioned.

Baseball has been part of the Asian Video games since 1994 and the Olympic Video games since 1992.

India has by no means participated within the occasion. The nation does have an Beginner Baseball Federation of India, which is affiliated to the game’s international physique, however it’s not recognised by the sports activities ministry, nor entitled to any funding from the federal government.

“This was not mentioned at MOC assembly. We’re busy making certain that the we enhance and construct upon sports activities wherein we’re doing moderately properly, there isn’t any time to get entangled in one thing like this,” the ministry supply mentioned.

To faucet into nation’s cricket sources would require a level of coordination with the BCCI, which is an autonomous physique that generates its personal funds. Nonetheless for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the place cricket will make its debut in T20 format, the BCCI might be entrusted with crew choice.

In keeping with a senior official of the Board, no critical cricketer would contemplate shifting to baseball given how financially rewarding even state-level T20 leagues are at this level.

“Why would any aspiring cricketer flip to baseball? Is it a commercially viable profession choice? And particularly when you may have choices just like the IPL and state T20 leagues. Even the unofficial tennis-ball leagues are providing near Rs 40-50 lakh every year,” a senior BCCI official informed PTI. 

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