Construction work has begun on the cricket stadium for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The sport will return to the Games after 128 years, as confirmed by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday.
The venue is a temporary ground at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, in Southern California. It will host both men’s and women’s events. Each competition will feature six teams. Matches will be played in the T20 format.
“Our focus has been on expanding the footprint of cricket and being part of the Olympic movement is something that brings both pride and dreams with it,” ICC chairman Jay Shah said in a statement.
The ground will also host three Major League Cricket matches from July 1 to 5 this year.
The stadium is being built at Fairplex. It is a large event site that has hosted the Los Angeles County Fair for many years. The venue is around 50 kilometres from central Los Angeles. Organisers picked the site to keep cricket close to the main Olympic areas and reach more fans.
Officials said the ground will be a purpose built temporary stadium. It will be designed only for cricket. All Olympic matches will be held at this venue. The cricket event is set to take place from July 12 to 29 in 2028.
Cricket was added to the Los Angeles Games after approval from the International Olympic Committee in 2023. The sport was last played at the Olympics in 1900 in Paris.
Each team is expected to have a 15 player squad. A total of 90 athletes will take part in each of the men’s and women’s events.
The move is seen as a big step for cricket in the United States. The sport has started to grow there in recent years. Events like Major League Cricket have helped bring more attention. The Olympic stage is expected to take the game to a wider audience.
