The LA28 Olympics has announced that the City of Pomona will host the cricket games during the event in Los Angeles.
The city is located in Southern California. There will be a purpose-built temporary venue that will host the cricket matches. While announcing the news of cricket venues, the LA28 said the West Coast will welcome back cricket to the Olympics. It’s been more than a century since the Olympics.
The organizers have announced that “Cricket (T20), a globally renowned sport which was added to the 2028 Olympics sports program in 2023, will make its Southern California debut at the Fairgrounds in Pomona in a temporary, purpose-built structure.”
The cricket event in the LA28 Olympics will feature six teams in men’s and women’s sections. Cricket is returning to the Olympics after 128 years.
The ICC Chair, Jay Shah, has welcomed this announcement.
“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.”
“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.”
Initially, there were plans to host cricket matches on the East Coast, mainly in New York. Last year, New York hosted 8 games of the T20I World Cup. However, the LA28 committee settled for a ground in the Southern California region.
It is also expected that cricket will be retained for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. After the finals of the cricket event, the iconic Gabba is set to be demolished.
