IOC vows ‘no compromise’ on quality of cricket pitches at 2028 Games
· Yahoo Sports
Cricket’s long-awaited Olympic return will wrap up in exactly two years and the International Olympic Committee has pledged there will be “no compromise” when it comes to the quality of pitches at Los Angeles 2028.
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The sport’s first medallists in 128 years will be crowned on July 20 when the women’s final takes place, with the tournament concluding on July 29 with the men’s gold medal match.
Pierre Ducrey, the IOC sports director, insists the event will be remembered for the action on the field, not gripes about the pitches.
When the United States co-hosted the men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, there were major misgivings over inconsistent drop-in surfaces used at Nassau County – and even an admission from the International Cricket Council that they had not lived up to expectations.
Work at the Olympic venue only began on April 22 but, after an intensive period of preparation work involving 32,000 metric tons of earth and a dedicated square overseen by Australian curator Damian Hough, was ready to host seven Major League Cricket matches earlier this month.
Scores were low – with a modest first-innings average of 132.7 sitting well behind MLC’s other venues in Grand Prairie and Oakland – but Ducrey has vowed the matter will be a top-tier priority.
“For us at the IOC, the venue for any sport or any discipline is something we take very much to heart,” he told the Press Association. “The core of our planning is that the venue is of the highest standard.
“The field of play and the athlete experience are elements we will have no compromise on. The benefit we have is that we are already playing at this venue, the MLC games are there and we are able to compete on that grass and know every behaviour it may have over the next two years.
“The quality of the grass and the pitches are the fundamental things and the fact we are starting now, with the the field of play ready, is really important to that journey.
“We do it for the grass on a golf course, a tennis court or a cricket pitch. We have the best people there to ensure conditions we provide are the very best they can be.
“We spend a lot of time planning the Games, now we are in the concrete part of the journey and that’s always the most exciting part. We really believe cricket can be a fantastic event at LA28.”
Qualification has already begun, with England’s runners-up spot at this summer’s Women’s T20 World Cup earning Great Britain’s place, while the men’s side are effectively assured of following suit on account of their world number one ranking.
“The clinching of a qualifying spot is, for a lot of people, even bigger than the gold medal because this is the moment they actually become Olympians,” Ducrey added.
“We hope for cricketers it will be like that for those who become the first ones from their country to compete at an Olympic Games. It should be extra special.”