Cricket at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games set to be played 4000 kilometres away from host city

Appearing at the Olympics for the first time since 1900, cricket is expected to be played 4000 kilometres away from the host city at the LA Games.

Cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is likely to be played almost 4,000 kilometres away from the host city and in New York state – to encourage more fans to tune in from India.

Cricket will feature at the Olympics for the first time since 1900 with a men’s and women’s T20 competition. The format has yet to be confirmed but is likely to be played between eight countries in two groups of four with semi-finals and a final, and a bronze-medal play-off.

However, the two-week competition is set to be played on the east coast of the United States, rather than in Los Angeles.

Casey Wasserman, the chairman of the LA 2028 organising committee, last week confirmed at a conference in Texas that the cricket plan for the Games was being drawn up with Indian television viewership in mind.

The time zone on the east coast is much better for the Indian market, with India nine and a half hours ahead of New York and 12 and a half hours ahead of Los Angeles. The ICC has confirmed that no official decision has been made yet.

India took on Pakistan at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New Yorkat the T20 World Cup. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Part of the reason cricket has been included in the Olympics for LA 2028 is to try to engage new audiences in the Asian subcontinent and harness higher broadcast deals than the IOC has managed for past Games.

There were also some concerns from the LA 2028 organisers about the increased number of athletes and coaches that would be in the Olympic village if cricket was included. Each of the 16 squads (eight men and eight women) is likely to have 15 players, plus about five support staff – meaning about 320 additional people in the village – an issue that would be eased if the cricket were played away from LA.

There is at present no suitable stadium in New York state but there are possible solutions. For this year’s T20 World Cup, India played most of their group matches at a pop-up 30,000-seat stadium in upstate New York, with the pitches being transported from Florida.

Although there are logical reasons for the Olympic cricket tournament to be played away from Los Angeles, it is likely to be disappointing for the players. The Times has spoken to two players that could be in Great Britain’s squad who said that it would disappointing not to be part of the buzz of the Olympic village, mixing with other Olympians. There are also concerns that the competition could feel like just another T20 World Cup if held in a separate city.