Los Angeles, April 23: ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta on Thursday termed the “ground breaking” of the cricket venue for the 2028 Olympics as the fulfilment of a long awaited “promise”, noting that the facility, which also serves as the home ground of the Los Angeles Knight Riders, will bring the sport to the global showpiece.
“This is a moment in history because what we are breaking ground on today is not simply a cricket field. We are breaking ground on a promise. A promise that took 128 years to keep,” Gupta said.
Gupta was speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of the venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Gupta said cricket’s return to the Olympics after more than a century marked recognition of the sport’s global appeal, following the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approving its inclusion in the Los Angeles Games.
“That’s how long the world’s second most popular sport, a game played and passionately followed by more than 2.5 billion people, has been missing from the Olympic stage.
“When the International Olympic Committee formally approved cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Games, it wasn’t just a scheduling announcement. It was a recognition that the Olympics should reflect the sports that billions of people love,” he said. “The International Cricket Council humbly accepted that recognition with our full commitment.” Cricket returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1900. (PTI)
