LA 2028 Olympics cricket event to be hosted in Pamona city in California

The LA28 organizing committee announced on Tuesday that cricket will be played at a specially constructed temporary venue at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, during the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Cricket will make its long-awaited return to the Olympics from July 14 to July 30, marking its first appearance since the historic match between Great Britain and France at the 1900 Games.

During last year’s men’s T20 World Cup, hosted in the USA and the Caribbean, a pop-up stadium in New York featured an India-Pakistan match, while Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill were also utilized.

Fairgrounds in Pomona, California, to host men’s and women’s cricket event in LA28

The Fairgrounds, commonly known as Fairplex, is a 500-acre complex that has hosted the Los Angeles County Fair since 1922. Located approximately 50 kilometres east of Los Angeles, it will now be transformed into an international cricket venue as the sport rejoins the Olympic stage.

Although cricket has been played in the United States for over three centuries, only two permanent stadiums in the country regularly host international matches: Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida, and Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas, which was built for Major League Cricket in 2023.

The qualification process for the six-team T20 cricket tournament at the 2028 Games will be announced later. Each participating country will be allowed a squad of 15 athletes, with a total of 90 athlete quotas allocated for each gender.

“We welcome the announcement of the venue for cricket at Los Angeles 2028, as it marks a significant step toward our sport’s Olympic return. Although cricket is already immensely popular, featuring in the fast-paced, exciting T20 format at the Olympics presents a fantastic opportunity to expand its reach and attract new audiences,” said ICC Chairman Jay Shah.

Cricket is among the five new sports added to LA28, alongside baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash. A total of six teams will compete in both the men’s and women’s cricket events.

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