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DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the sport will make its long-awaited return to the Olympic stage at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with Pomona’s Fairgrounds (Fairplex) in Southern California chosen as the venue.
The Fairplex, a sprawling 500-acre event complex that has hosted the LA County Fair since 1922, will be the epicentre of Olympic cricket.
Known for its diverse year-round events — from concerts and trade shows to cultural festivals — the venue now gears up to welcome one of the world’s most-followed sports.
“We’ve promised the world an incredible Olympic Games and today we’re proud to share the plan that will make it happen,” said LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover.
“Los Angeles is the epicentre of sports, culture and entertainment, and every venue selected for the 2028 Games will provide athletes and fans the best possible experience.”
The ICC welcomed the development with open arms, hailing it as a major milestone. Chairman Jay Shah called the move a “significant step” in the journey to bring cricket back to the Olympics.
“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,” said ICC chairman Shah.
“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.”
The inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympics was confirmed during the IOC’s October 2023 meeting in Mumbai. It joins four other new sports — baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash — as part of the LA28 lineup.
The tournament will feature both men’s and women’s competitions, each with six teams. Squads will consist of 15 players, with a total of 90 athlete slots per gender allocated by the IOC.
While the exact qualification pathway and match schedule are yet to be announced, the excitement is already building.
This marks cricket’s return to the Olympics after a staggering 128 years — the only previous appearance being a one-off match in the 1900 Paris Games.
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