ICC Names Eight-Olympic Gold Medallist Usain Bolt As Ambassador For T20 World Cup 2024
The T20 World Cup 2024 will start on June 1, with the final on June 29 in West Indies and USA.
New Delhi: Eight-time Olympic gold medallist, Usain Bolt, was unveiled as an ambassador for the T20 World Cup 2024 that is set to take place in the USA and West Indies. This is the first time USA is hosting an ICC event of such stature while the Caribbean will be playing hosts to a T20 World Cup for the second time. The last time West Indies hosted the World Cup in the shortest format was in 2010.
The event will be of special interest to Bolt, who grew up playing cricket in the Caribbean Island of Jamaica and only turned his attention to athletics and running as fast as he could when urged to try track and field events by his cricket coach in high school.
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 ICC.
“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,” he added.
The Jamaican felt that the T20 World Cup in America will make an impact for the sport on a positive note in the region. For the unknown, Los Angeles will be hosting the Summer Olympics in 2028 where cricket will make its debut in the Games. “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,” he added.