NEW DELHI: The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic organizers are facing a unique challenge in finding a suitable venue for cricket, a sport making its return to the Games after a 128-year hiatus.
While Los Angeles, located on the West Coast of the United States, will host the Games, the cricket competition might be held on the East Coast, potentially in New York, to cater to a global audience, particularly fans in India, according to a report from Cricbuzz.
This potential move is primarily driven by the significant time difference between Los Angeles and the Indian subcontinent.
A 12.5-hour gap would place primetime evening matches in Los Angeles during early morning hours in India, severely limiting viewership in a nation with a fervent cricket fanbase.
Holding matches on the East Coast, with a more favourable 9.5-hour time difference, presents a solution.
Matches starting around 10:30-11:00 AM in New York would align with primetime evening viewing in India, mirroring a strategy successfully employed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) during the recent T20 World Cup.
However, the potential shift to New York is not without its hurdles. The city has been embroiled in controversy regarding the hosting of previous cricket events, with allegations of financial impropriety among ICC officials prompting investigations.
Beyond the time zone considerations, finding a suitable venue poses a significant logistical challenge.
The United States has a limited number of cricket grounds, with the recent World Cup matches in New York relying on a temporary, modular stadium that was dismantled post-tournament.
Other potential host cities from the World Cup, including Dallas, Texas, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, along with existing Major League Cricket (MLC) locations in Dallas and North Carolina, are also under consideration.
The LA28 organizing committee, while having announced venues for most other sports, has yet to disclose the location for cricket.
The potential hosting of cricket in a different city underlines the LA28 organizers’ commitment to maximizing global viewership and catering to a diverse international audience.