ICC Welcomes Venue Announcement for Cricket at Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

Dubai, April 16 – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has welcomed the announcement of the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, as the official venue for cricket at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).

Cricket will return to the Olympic stage after 128 years, with the LA28 edition featuring six teams each in the men’s and women’s T20 competitions. The last time the sport appeared at the Olympics was during the Paris Games in 1900.

ICC Chair Jay Shah expressed enthusiasm about the development, calling it a “significant step” in cricket’s Olympic journey.

“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,” Shah said. “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.”

He also conveyed his appreciation to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for their support and affirmed the ICC’s commitment to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure cricket’s successful reintroduction at the Games.

The decision to include cricket in the Olympics was ratified at the IOC Session in Mumbai in October 2023. Alongside cricket, four other sports—baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash—will also be featured as new additions at LA28.

The T20 format has played a crucial role in growing cricket’s global footprint, having already been part of multi-sport events such as the Asian Games (2010, 2014, and 2023) and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which featured a women’s competition.

The inclusion of cricket in LA28 is being hailed as a landmark moment for the sport, with expectations high for engaging global audiences and furthering cricket’s reach beyond its traditional strongholds.