Cricket at LA28: ICC Confirms Fairgrounds in Pomona as Olympic Venue
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced that Fairgrounds in Pomona, California, also known as Fairplex, will host cricket events during the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. This marks a historic milestone, as cricket returns to the Olympic stage after a 128-year hiatus.
Fairplex, a nearly 500-acre event complex, has a rich legacy of hosting the Los Angeles County Fair since 1922. The site will be transformed into a temporary stadium tailored to accommodate the fast-paced, spectator-friendly T20 format of cricket that will feature at LA28.
The Olympic cricket competition will see six men’s and six women’s teams vying for gold, making it one of the marquee attractions among the new sports at LA28.
ICC Chair Jay Shah welcomed the announcement, calling it a crucial step in cricket’s Olympic journey.
“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,” Shah said in an official statement.
“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.”
Shah also expressed gratitude to the Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for their support and collaboration.
Cricket was officially added to the Olympic Games lineup during the IOC session in Mumbai in October 2023. Alongside cricket, LA28 will also feature five other new sports: baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash.
The ICC has identified the T20 format as the ideal vehicle to globalize the game, particularly through multi-sport platforms. In recent years, T20 cricket has made its mark at major events such as the Asian Games (2010, 2014, and 2023) and the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where the women’s competition drew global attention.
With preparations underway and anticipation building, cricket’s inclusion at LA28 is expected to bring the sport to a wider audience and mark a transformative moment in its international journey.
