Cricket at LA Olympics to begin on July 12, medal matches on July 20 and 29
Los Angeles (PTI): Cricket's much-hyped return to the Olympics at LA Games will take shape at the Fairgrounds Stadium in the city of Pomena -- about 50km from Los Angeles -- from July 12 with the medal matches scheduled on July 20 and 29, 2028.
A total of six teams each in men's and women's sections and 180 players will compete in the T20 format in the quadrennial showpiece, which hosted cricket for the first and only time in 1900.
There are no matches scheduled on July 14 and 21 and most of the the matchdays will be double headers, according to the competition schedule released by the organisers.
The only time the gentleman's game was played at the Olympics was in Paris way back in 1900. Only two teams, Great Britain and France, competed in a two-day match with the former winning the gold medal.
With a total of 90 athlete quotas allocated in the men's and women's sections, the 12 competing teams can name 15-member squads.
Cricket's growing popularity can be gauged from the fact that three venues in the United States -- Grand Prairie, Lauderhill, and New York -- organised several matches of the 2024 T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by USA and the West Indies.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had approved cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash as five new sports to feature at the 2028 Games.
"When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighbourhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy.
"We are already delivering that legacy as we announce there have been more than one million enrollments in PlayLA. I want to thank LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for making these programs possible and for their continued work to host the greatest Games yet," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement.
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UP: Imambara, Eidgah removed in Sambhal demolition drive
Sambhal (UP)(PTI): A demolition drive was carried out by the district administration here to remove an 'Imambara' and an 'Eidgah' allegedly built on government land in Bichhauli village on Thursday, officials said.
The action was undertaken by the Revenue Department amid police deployment to maintain law and order as the site was cleared of what authorities termed as "encroachments" on public land, they said.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nidhi Patel told reporters that the plot numbers 1240 and 1242 are classified as public utility land, including manure pits and grazing grounds, where any construction is illegal.
Proceedings were initiated in the tehsildar's court under relevant provisions, and eviction orders were issued after a hearing, she said.
"Following the orders, the revenue and police teams have taken action to remove the encroachment," Patel said.
Sambhal has been in the news in recent months over administrative crackdowns on alleged encroachments and disputes related to land use and religious structures.
Authorities stepped up enforcement actions since the November 2024 violence during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in the Kot Garvi area of the city.
