It's official: Cricket is not a recognised sport in Russia

While the likes of footgolf and model plane flying are among the events on the list of registered sports, cricket has been refused entry after failing to match the requirements

Cricket's future in Russia is in severe doubt after the Kremlin refused to include it on their list of registered sports.

The Russian Sports Ministry determines which events are included on their list of sports which are eligible for financial support from the government.

But cricket has been refused a place on the list after failing to match the requirements of the complicated criteria, along with Muay Thai, a type of boxing which originates in Thailand.

Footgolf, sports yoga, model plane flying and darts are among the events which are recognised.

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Such news throws into major doubt the future of cricket - which has been played in Russia since the 1870s - in what is the largest country in the world.

Funding is already sparse for such peripheral sports in emerging nations, particularly with cricket not having Olympic status.

Russia were made an associate member by the ICC in 2017 but they were omitted from the expanded T20 rankings in May due to having not played enough matches.

They will be represented at the European Cricket League, a domestic T10 competition including sides from the likes of Denmark, Netherlands and France, by St Petersburg Lions but the future of the sport is veiled in uncertainty.

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