In what has been the latest development as per the reports in the Times, Casey Wasserman, it is learned that Los Angeles won’t be hosting cricket matches in the 2028 Olympics. This is because the organizing committee is keeping in mind the Indian audience to gain viewership.
The reports claimed that the Olympics 2028, which will be held in Los Angeles, will see the event moved to the state of New York. India is 9.5 hours ahead of New York, as compared to the 12.5 hours behind Los Angeles. This has made the organizing committee say in Texas that the plan for cricket will be chalked out with India in mind.
This will be the first time that cricket will be played in the Olympics after 128 years
This will be the first time that cricket will be played in the Olympics after 128 years in the T20 format. Although the venues for the sport are yet to be decided, men’s and women’s competitions would likely take place on the East Coast because of the more favorable time zone compared to the West Coast for Indian viewers.
Recently, the T20 World Cup 2024 was hosted in New York, but the games were held in the makeshift Nassau County Stadium. The ICC installed drop-in pitches, and the weather played a huge role in the tournament. Recent reports claimed that matches in the Olympics could be in Brooklyn.
Cricket games likely to be held at the Marine Park in Brooklyn in the Olympics
The games will be held at the Marine Park in Brooklyn, home of MI New York from MLC. The reports claimed that there are chances of the 10000-seater stadium being built, but it’s unclear whether it will be ready before the LA 2028 Olympics or not.
One of the positives that will be there after the games are shifted to New York is the Games organizers’ concerns about an increased number of athletes and support staff. The recent games have tried to keep the total athlete numbers around 10,000 and shifting cricket to New York could alleviate some of those problems.
Pre-existing infrastructure could be used to maintain a balanced budget for the Olympics
A total of 16 teams, 8 men and 8 women, will have 15 members each, as well as five support staff per team, coming to an estimated total of 320 people for two events.
Earlier, the reports claimed that pre-existing infrastructure could be used to achieve “more than USD 150 million in savings and new revenue to help maintain a balanced budget (for the Olympics)”. The organizing committee chairman said earlier this year, according to ‘Sportico’.
