Eight-time Olympic gold medallist – Usain Bolt has been named as an ambassador for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on Wednesday, 24 April.
The 9th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be played between June 1 to June 29 in the West Indies and the United States. A total of 55 matches will be played between 20 teams during the tournament.
Apart from many other clashes, the India vs Pakistan match will be the most epic clash in the tournament. Understanding the heat of the clash, the broadcaster released a special promo for the match set to be played on June 9.
Bolt remains the undisputed king of speed, holding world records in all three events (9.58 seconds for 100m, 19.19 seconds for 200m, and 36.84 seconds for the 4x100m relay).
A long-time friend of West Indies great Chris Gayle, Bolt said he was looking forward to playing a part in the tournament that will run in the USA and Caribbean from June 1-29.
“I am thrilled to be an ambassador for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” Bolt told the ICC recently.
“Coming from the Caribbean where Cricket is a part of life, the sport has always held a special place in my heart, and I am honoured to be part of such a prestigious tournament. I look forward to bringing my energy and enthusiasm to the World Cup and contributing to the growth of cricket globally.”
The US represents the biggest untapped market in the world of sports. Bolt sees the T20 World Cup as a catalyst for cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“America believes a lot in sport and high intensity and for me to get into that market is big,” Bolt suggested. “When they follow a sport, they follow a sport properly and they go all in and I feel like if they can crack into it, they will get into it the right way. If we bring energy like I know we will for the T20 (World Cup) it is going to be wonderful.”
And Bolt expects further inroads to be made in 2028 when cricket makes its return to the Summer Olympics for the first time since it appeared at the Games of the II Olympiad in Paris back in 1900.
“If you listen to NBA players and the way they talk about winning a gold medal, they have won NBA titles, they have their rings, but they are like ‘we went to the Olympics’,” Bolt noted.
“The other day I watched the documentary about how they (USA basketball team) lost (at the 2004 Olympics) and there was a Redeem Team (at the Beijing Games in 2008) and the focus and the hard work (they needed to win).
“That is how big (important) getting a gold medal is. Every sport tries to get into the Olympics because it is such a big thing and it is such a great feeling to be on a podium winning that gold medal.”
