Southern California confirmed as venue for cricket's return at 2028 LA Olympics
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced Fairgrounds in Pomona, a temporary stadium in Southern California, as the venue for cricket at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. The Fairgrounds in Pomona, officially known as Fairplex, is a near-500-acre event complex that has hosted the Los Angeles County Fair since 1922. The cricket competition at LA28 will feature six teams each in the men’s and women’s competition as the sport makes a return to the Games after 128 years.
The ICC Chair, Jay Shah, has welcomed the confirmation of the venue and is looking forward to working in partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ensure cricket’s success at the Games. “We welcome the announcement of the venue for cricket at Los Angeles 2028 as it is a significant step towards the preparation for our sport’s return to the Olympics.
“Although cricket is a hugely popular sport, it will be a fantastic opportunity to expand traditional boundaries when it features in the Olympics in the fast-paced, exciting T20 format that should appeal to new audiences. “On behalf of the ICC, I want to express my gratitude to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for their support and look forward to collaborating with them and ICC Members in preparing for LA28 and making cricket a huge success there,” said Shah in a statement.
Cricket, which made its only appearance in the Olympics at the Paris Games in 1900, was included in the Los Angeles Olympics after an IOC meeting in Mumbai in October 2023. It joins five new sports at LA28 – baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash. The T20 format, which is recognized as the vehicle for the growth of the game by the ICC, has also featured in other multi-sport events in recent years. The Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023 featured both men’s and women’s T20 competitions while the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games staged a women’s competition.
