Cricket’s overdue comeback will be at the sports festival of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and the prestigious Fairplex in Pomona, California, is designated as the venue. On Tuesday, the LA28 Organising Committee released the information, which is a significant sign that preparations for the event have been going on for a while.
Fairplex, also called the Fairgrounds, is a huge 500-acre area that has accommodated the Los Angeles County Fair since 1922. Over the years, it has become an all-purpose centre for music events, exhibitions, sports competitions, and cultural activities during different seasons.
LA28 Plans in Full Swing
LA28’s CEO, Reynold Hoover, is optimistic and thrilled that the criticism of the Olympic plans has begun to generate energy.
“We have assured to the world of an amazing Olympic Games, and today we are happy to say that the concept is already on the door,” confirmed Hoover. “Every place across Los Angeles is the heart of sports, culture, and entertainment, and the 2028 Games venues will provide athletes and fans with the best possible experience.”
ICC Welcomes Milestone Moment
ICC Chairman Jay Shah is elated that the awaited time has come and is a significant move of cricket’s re-inclusion in the Olympics.
“We are pleased to learn that Cricket will be played in Los Angeles 2028. We have taken this necessary step towards the preparation for the return of our sport in the Olympic Games,” Shah remarked.
He added that cricket’s involvement in the Olympics, and the T20 event in particular, is a breakthrough for the sport’s international outreach.
“The Olympics will see cricket played in the T20 if the sport becomes a part of the event, it will not only be the opportunity to spread the traditional barriers but also the new T20 format that is streamlined and is meant to be more entertaining to new audiences that should bring the expected effect.”
He also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) while confirming the ICC’s unwavering support for resolving any cricket issues surrounding LA28 through a combined effort with the main stakeholders.
The Basic Facts
Note that the IOC Executive Board has already verified that both men’s and women’s teams will play this time at LA28. Each gender will have six teams competing for a total of 90 athletes, and 15 players are allowed on each team.
The issues of how the athletes will be selected and when the games will be played are still unresolved.
Cricket at the Olympic Games
The only appearance of cricket in the Olympic Games was in 1900 in Paris, where two teams competed. Now that cricket is returning to the Olympics after a hundred years and more, it is seen as a turning point in the history of the sport—especially in new territories like the U.S., amid the emergence of T20 leagues and the increased interest of the South Asian diaspora, which took the initiative to lay down the foundation.
Being the place where the games are supposed to take place, Fairplex, in Southern California, is possibly the biggest candidate for being a unique mix of the old and new in the most vivid form of cricket coming back to the global stage once again.
