Vinci, the French operators of the Olympic Stadium are in advanced negotiations to stage the first ever Major League Baseball game in Europe. Telegraph Sport says ‘that serious talks have taken place over bringing a series of MLB matches to the London 2012 centrepiece, potentially as early as 2017.’
MLB officials have long been exploring hosting regular-season games in Europe, declaring an interest in the Olympic Stadium as long ago as March 2012. That followed the success of the American football international series of matches at Wembley and American Basketball fixtures at the O2 Arena.
Now American baseball wants to be the latest exportwith the Olympic Stadium its venue of choice thanks to the dimensions of the arena.
“That stadium, the way it’s built, actually is big enough for a baseball game,” MLB International’s Clive Russell said back in 2012. “It’s not perfect, but it has some real potential.”
Confirming MLB had measured the Stratford venue, Russell added: “It’s tight and there would be some struggles with sightlines.”