Cricket at Los Angeles Olympics 2028 to start on July 12

Staff Report

LAHORE: Cricket’s return to the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 will begin on July 12, with the medal matches scheduled to be played on July 20 and 29. All the matches will be held at the Fairgrounds Stadium, a temporary, purpose-built venue in the city of Pomona, about 50km from Los Angeles. Six teams each in the men’s and women’s sections, and a total of 180 players, will compete in the T20 format. Each team can name a 15-member squad for the competition. Most match days will be double-headers, while there are no matches slotted on July 14 and 21. The matches will begin at 9.00am and 6.30pm 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 inclusion in the Olympics further propels the growing stature of the sport. Women’s cricket made its CWG debut in Birmingham in 2022, while both the men’s and women’s games have been part of the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023. Recently, Grand Prairie, Lauderhill, and New York hosted a number of matches at the 2024 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.