CRICKET POLL

Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California will be the venue for cricket at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28), it has been announced. The venue will be a temporary makeshift structure, the Olympic Committee has said. Also known as Fairplex, the venue is a nearly 500-acre space used for multiple purposes such as concerts, shows and events.

This marks the second time that such a custom-made venue is used for Cricket in USA in a multi-nation tournament. The ICC had similarly built a stadium in New York for the T20 World Cup in 2024.

The International Cricket Council confirmed that LA28 will feature six teams in both men's and women's competitions to be played in the T20 format.

ICC Chair, Jay Shah said in a statement: "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."

Cricket makes an appearance in the Olympics after 128 years, the sport last featuring in the 1900 games at Paris.