Blind cricket at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics? Don't rule it out
A push for blind cricket to be included in the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics is gaining momentum, with International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons confirming a gold medal match at the Gabba is a possibility should the sport be approved.
Australia's greatest off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, put the issue on the agenda last year, saying he wanted the country's best blind cricketers to get the chance to compete at a home Paralympics.
'[Cricket] is now part of the Olympics, I think it would be pretty special for not just Australia but cricket worldwide if they were able to combine it into the Paralympics,' Lyon told AAP.
'It would open up a lot of things and be pretty special for world cricket ... I think it's pretty silly that it's not [in the Paralympics too].'
With cricket on the Olympic program for LA 2028, Cricket Australia and Paralympics Australia are supportive of a potential bid to include blind cricket at Brisbane 2032. The sport was first played in Australia in 1922.
The list of sports for Brisbane 2032 won't be finalised until next year, but Parsons said blind cricket would be seriously considered, provided it met certain criteria.
'We are receiving applications from all international federations, so it's still open,' Parsons said after announcing Nine Entertainment had secured exclusive broadcast rights for the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milano Cortina.
'I cannot say at this moment whether the ICC [International Cricket Council] has made an application or not. We have some criteria; like number of countries, continents and regions [it is played in]. It needs to be a global sport. It cannot only be an Australian sport. The appeal here has to be strong.
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