USA Cricket has appointed Johnathan Atkeison as its new chief executive officer(CEO), following the International Cricket Council's (ICC) warning regarding governance issues.
The international cricket body had recently placed USA Cricket "on notice" for lacking a fit-for-purpose governance and administrative system, urging immediate reforms. The appointment of Atkeison addressed one of the two key conditions set by the ICC to avoid disqualification as an associate member.
The other requirement involves meeting governance norms set by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, necessary for achieving National Governing Body (NGB) status. This status is mandatory for sports included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"I'm honored to join the team at USA Cricket. It's an incredible time for the sport here in the United States with the historic performance of the men's national team in the recent T20 World Cup, the completion of the second season of Major League Cricket, and the first opportunity to showcase cricket in the Olympics here on home soil during the LA28 games," Atkeison said in a statement released to the media.
He added, "Our goal is to build a world-class organization to capitalize on that momentum, and firmly establish cricket's position in the American sporting landscape. The passion the cricket community has for the sport is amazing, and the enthusiasm is infectious. I can't wait to get started."
Atkeison, who previously served as the chief operating officer(COO) of USA Rugby, brings over 15 years of experience in governing sports bodies. He is notably credited for leading USA Rugby through a financial restructuring in 2020. His tenure as CEO of USA Cricket will commence on August.1.
The ICC, ahead of its annual general meeting (AGM), circulated a note titled "Associate Member Membership Update'' to all its members. The note highlighted that the United States Olympic committee had "expressed serious concerns' ' over the governance of USA Cricket, marking the second instance this year that USA Cricket has been warned by the ICC.
The ICC's statement after the AGM emphasized that a normalisation committee, comprising board and management representatives, would oversee and monitor the cricket body’s compliance roadmap. The ICC board also reserved the right to suspend or expel USA Cricket for continued non-compliance.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login