Blind cricket at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics? Don’t rule it out
By Tom Decent
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.
Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, at Nine headquarters in Sydney.Credit: Louie Douvis
“[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.
Australian Blind Cricket players Steffan Nero and Lincoln Muddle.Credit: Paul Harris
“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.
“We are aware that cricket is in the LA Olympic program. India, which is a very strong cricket country, has demonstrated a lot of interest in growing the Paralympic movement. They want to host the Paralympics in the future. We don’t close the door to any sports.”
If blind cricket is not included in the IPC’s official program, the Brisbane organising committee will have the power to nominate two additional sports. Those sports still need to be signed off by the IPC.
(Left to right): Cameron Murray, CEO Paralympics Australia, Ben Tudhope, Winter Paralympian, Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, Ellie Cole, Paralympian, and Matt Stanton, Nine CEO, after Nine Entertainment announced it had secured broadcast rights for the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milano Cortina.Credit: Louie Douvis
Australia, India, England, Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand are among the countries already playing blind cricket.
“We’ve put a lot of time and energy and resources into all of our inclusion cricket,” said Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg. “When you get a home Paralympics, clearly you want to give yourself the best shot. We’d be very supportive of that and would certainly be able to use our voice in that conversation to see if we could make that a reality.
“2032 is going to be on us quickly, so that work starts now.”
Nine’s coverage of next year’s Winter Paralympics in Italy will follow its record-breaking broadcast of Paris 2024, which reached more than 10 million Australians.
Paralympic great Madison de Rozario welcomed home in Sydney after last year’s Paralympics in Paris. Credit: Steven Siewert
Around 12 to 14 athletes are expected to represent Australia in Milano Cortina from March 6 to 15, with para-snowboarder Ben Tudhope, the nation’s youngest ever Winter Paralympian, again shaping as its best medal hope.
“We are super excited that Nine will broadcast the Milano Cortina Games,” Parsons said. “You’ll see amazing things, like blind skiers coming down a hill at 100km/h. It will be great for Australian audiences and visually it’ll be incredible.”
Nine CEO Matt Stanton said in a statement: “Using Nine’s unrivalled scale across streaming, broadcasting and publishing, Australian audiences will be able to immerse themselves, whenever and wherever, in all the action and the incredible stories of these amazing athletes.”