In a massive move, as expected, keeping in mind the large Indian audience that follows cricket, LA 28 Olympics organisers have decided to shift the sport to New York, that is six hours away from the host city, from a flight. As per a report in the Times, Casey Wasserman, Chairman of LA 28 organising committee said, that the plan for cricket was made keeping in mind, India.
Cricket at LA28 Olympics
In fact, cricket was included in the Olympics programme mostly to capture the South Asian market, where the sport is a big hit. That would also mean bigger broadcast deals for the hosts. To add to that, New York has a bit of a cricket base too, and had co-jointly hosted the T20 World Cup in June, that Team India had won.
Meanwhile, there is still no clarity as to where the matches will take place in New York. The report further suggests that the matches could take place in Marine Park in Brooklyn, home of the New York from MLB. Another 1000-seater stadium could be coming up for the Olympics.
Also, cricket will be a six-team competition in the men’s and women’s categories. Meanwhile, for now the qualification criteria for the LA 28 is not yet out, and a call will only be taken by 2025. In all likelihood, the hosts will make it to the competition, as host qualifiers. Once cricket was included in LA 28, Wasserman had said, “We are excited to embark on game-changing collaborations with major professional leagues that will unlock massive opportunities to amplify the Olympic and Paralympic story, and captivate new audiences.”