Pomona, a city in Southern California, will host cricket during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as announced by the ICC in Dubai on Tuesday. There will be six teams in both men’s and women’s categories competing at the Fairgrounds in Pomona. This marks the return of cricket to the Olympics after 128 years.
ICC chairman Jay Shah said this is a big moment for the sport. He added that since cricket is so popular, featuring it in the Olympics in the exciting T20 format could bring in new fans. Cricket was last seen in the Olympics way back in 1900 at the Paris Games, but it made a comeback for the LA Olympics after the IOC’s session in Mumbai in October 2023.
Cricket joins other new sports at LA28, including baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash. The T20 format has been key in growing the sport and has been part of other major events like the Asian Games in 2010, 2014, and 2023, as well as the women’s competition at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.