Los Angeles Olympics 2028 organisers mulling conduction of cricket events in East Coast
This will also let the organisers leverage South Asia, which boasts around a quarter of the world's population.
The Hundred 2024 potentially reported a loss in viewership as it coincided with the Paris Olympics 2024 as the viewers were glued to the quadrennial world event. But the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics 2028 will see cricket being included as the official Olympic game after enjoying the status last in 1900.
But the committee faces a tough task having decided to bring back the sport in its pantheon. The majority of the cricket audiences hail from the East Coast and especially in the Asian subcontinent with countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka possessing ardent fans.
The organisers tried to jostle the conduction in the West Coast itself, but according to the reports from Sportico, the game will be played in the East Coast. The reason is that the telecast of the same will be cut down to just nine hours from 12 hours in India. This will also let the organisers leverage South Asia, which boasts around a quarter of the world's population.
"We're looking at Santa Clara but also a couple of other options as well. I think we'll have more clarity around that next year. That (having a stadium before 2028 Games) is our hope and ambition so that we can get it done in time for the LA Olympics. That's an internal deadline that we're working towards. And clearly, a lot depends on getting the support of the local government, wherever that is, to get things done in time, to get the permit approvals done," said Major League Cricket's Unicorns co-owner, Anand Rajaraman.
Qualification format for Cricket in LA Olympics remains undecided
Meanwhile, speaking of the mega event, the organisers have not officially unveiled the qualification format for the cricket competition. But it will be likely that Olympic spots would be grabbed by the top six in the ICC's men's and women's T20 rankings at a cut-off date. Moreover, the official word on the number of teams participating is also awaited.
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