Cricket’s much-awaited return to the Olympic fold after more than a century at the upcoming Los Angeles Games will eventually 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.
Six teams each in the men’s and women’s categories, and a total of 180 players, will compete in the T20 format. Each team can name a 15-member squad for the competition. According to the LA 2028 organisers Most match days will be double-headers, while there are no matches slotted on July 14 and 21. The matches will begin at 9.00 am and 6.30 pm local time. It will be the same for the medal matches as well.
The Fairgrounds Stadium, officially known as Fairplex, is a nearly 500-acre complex that has hosted the LA County Fair since 1922 and regularly serves as a venue for concerts, trade shows, sporting events, and cultural gatherings.
“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,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
“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.”
This is the first time that cricket will feature in the Olympics since 1900. Then, only two teams, Great Britain and France, had competed in a two-day match, with Great Britain winning the gold medal.
Cricket’s growing global stature has received a major boost with its inclusion in the Olympics. The sport has already made significant strides on the multi-sport stage, after women’s cricket debuted at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, and both men’s and women’s competitions featured at the Asian Games in 2010, 2014, and 2023.
More recently, cricket continued its expansion into new markets with matches held in Grand Prairie, Lauderhill and New York during the 2024 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.