Cricket is making a dramatic Olympic comeback after 128 years, with the legendary Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, named as the Olympic venue for the sport at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The Fairplex, a large 500-acre site famous for staging the LA County Fair, will be converted into a bespoke building for the Olympic cricket tournament.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) received the decision with both hands. ICC Chair Jay Shah described the action as a "step forward" towards readying cricket for a return to the Olympics, citing it as an unprecedented opportunity to expand the sport into fresh markets with the popular T20 pace. Cricket and baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash are one of five sports to be recognized for inclusion at LA28.

Men's and Women's T20s to Have Six Teams Each

Both the men's and women's cricket competitions at LA28 will be in the form of T20s, with six teams for each. The IOC has approved a total of 90 slots per gender for players, so each country can have a complete 15-player team. The actual schedule will be released nearer the event, which takes place from July 14 to July 30, 2028.

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This will be cricket's first Olympic appearance since Paris 1900, when a single Great Britain vs. France match was held, now regarded as an unofficial Test. Since the late nineteenth century, cricket has appeared in multi-sport regional events such as the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, but LA28 will bestow upon it the long-awaited international Olympic stage.

The news follows increasing expectations and backing from officials, athletes, and fans alike. As matches are set to be held within a temporary stadium at Fairplex, the LA28 organizers have vowed to provide an elite experience for fans and competitors alike, taking advantage of the venue's storied past and the international stature of Los Angeles. As the clock ticks down to 2028, cricket's return to the Olympic fold marks not only a moment of historic return but an opportunity to engage a fresh generation of supporters on the world's greatest sporting stage.