Cricket at LA Olympics to begin on July 12, medal matches on July 20 and 29

Los Angeles, July 15 (PTI) - Cricket is set to make its much-anticipated return to the Olympics at the LA Games, using the Fairgrounds Stadium in Pomona, approximately 50 kilometers from Los Angeles.

The competition is scheduled to begin on July 12, with medal matches taking place on July 20 and 29, 2028. In this quadrennial event, which will feature cricket for the first time since 1900, a total of six teams each in the men's and women's divisions, comprising 180 players, will battle it out in the T20 format.

According to the competition schedule released by the organizers, there are no matches planned for July 14 and 21, with most matchdays consisting of double headers.

The last and only time cricket was played at the Olympics was in Paris, 1900. During that event, just two teams, Great Britain and France, competed in a two-day match, with Great Britain claiming the gold medal.

With 90 athlete quotas available in both the men's and women's categories, the 12 participating teams are allowed to name 15-member squads.

Cricket's increasing popularity is evident from the fact that three venues in the United States — Grand Prairie, Lauderhill, and New York — hosted several matches of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which the USA jointly hosted with the West Indies.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved cricket, along with baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash, as five new sports for the 2028 Games.

"When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighborhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy. We are already delivering that legacy as we announce there have been more than one million enrollments in PlayLA. I want to thank LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for making these programs possible and for their continued work to host the greatest Games yet," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement.

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