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DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule for the T20 cricket events at the Los Angeles (LA) 2028 Olympics.
This will mark the sport’s first Olympic appearance in 128 years, since the lone match at the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain defeated France to claim gold.
The T20 events will run from July 12 to July 29, 2028, at the Pomona Fairplex, located nearly 50 kilometres from downtown Los Angeles. The women’s medal match is slated for July 20, followed by the men’s final on July 29.
Each competition will feature six teams, with 90 athlete slots allocated per gender, allowing nations to field full 15-player squads.
In an interesting format twist, the group stage will see each team play two sides from the opposite pool, excluding the team that finished in the same position.
For instance, Group A toppers will face the second and third-placed teams in Group B, and vice versa. All match results will count toward the overall standings.
The top two teams will advance to the LA 2028 Olympics cricket final to contest for gold and silver, while the third- and fourth-placed sides will play off for the bronze medal.
Most matchdays will feature double-headers, with games scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM local time.
The return of cricket to the Olympics is seen as a major opportunity to boost the game’s global footprint, particularly in non-traditional markets like the USA.
While the qualification criteria remain unconfirmed, the ICC is expected to finalise the process at its Annual Conference in Singapore later this week.
It is widely expected that the T20I rankings at a set cut-off date will be used to determine participating teams.
Meanwhile, organisers LA28 stated that the full competition schedule, including the gender sequence for medal events, will be revealed later this year.
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