The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Dubai

The International Cricket Council welcomed the return of its sport to the Olympic movement Tuesday after 107 years - and hoped cricket could one day feature again in the games.

The International Olympic Committee granted provisional recognition to the ICC on Monday, giving it official association with the IOC and some financial assistance. However, it is only a first step toward any possible approval as an Olympic sport. The recognition is for an initial two-year period, after which the sports bodies can seek full recognition and apply for inclusion in the Olympics starting in 2020.

"This is great news for cricket," ICC president Ray Mali said. "The Olympic movement is instantly recognizable around the world and for cricket to be a part of that again has to be a good thing." Cricket, which is largely played in Commonwealth countries, has been played only once at the Olympics, at the 1900 Paris Games. Britain beat France, which was made up of players from the British embassy in Paris, for the gold medal.

Mali and other ICC directors met with IOC president Jacques Rogge in Lausanne, Switzerland, in October. Mali said it had been an ICC goal to be recognized by the IOC.

"We want to play an active role in the Olympic movement and we will be looking at ways in which we can work with the IOC for the benefit of cricket, sport and society in general," Mali said. "Maybe one day it will be right for cricket to return to the Olympic program."