LA 2028 Olympics to Feature Cricket’s Grand Return Starting July 12

Cricket is set to make a historic return to the Olympic Games at LA 2028, marking the sport’s first appearance in the Olympics after a 128-year break. The tournament will begin on July 12, 2028, and run until July 29, with both men’s and women’s T20 competitions on display.

Cricket’s only previous outing at the Olympics was in 1900 during the Paris Games, where just two teams, Great Britain and France, competed in a single two-day match. Great Britain won the gold then, but since that time, cricket has not been part of the Olympic program. The LA 2028 Games will see the sport back in a much more modern and dynamic format.

Everything About Cricket At LA 2028

 

At LA 2028, the cricket competition will feature six teams each for men and women, making a total of 12 teams. Each team will have a 15-player squad, meaning 90 athletes per gender will participate. The format will be Twenty20 (T20), which is a shorter, fast-paced version of the game that has gained widespread popularity globally. This makes it well-suited to the Olympic schedule and to attracting a broad international audience.

The matches will be played at a temporary stadium built at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, California, about 50 kilometers from Los Angeles. The venue has a long history of hosting a variety of events and will be specially adapted to accommodate the cricket tournament.

LA 2028 Schedule

The cricket event will start two days before the official opening of the Olympics, with the women’s competition kicking off on July 12. The men’s competition will begin on July 22. Medal matches are scheduled for July 20 for the women’s teams and July 29 for the men’s teams. Most matchdays will feature double headers, with games starting at 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM local time (which converts to 9:30 PM and 7:00 AM Indian Standard Time). Notably, no matches will be played on July 14 and 21, allowing rest days and tournament transitions.

Why It Matters

Cricket’s inclusion reflects a growing acceptance of the sport on the international multi-sport stage, with support from the International Cricket Council and backing from countries where cricket is popular, such as India, Australia, England, and South Africa. The T20 format, being short and exciting, fits the Olympic ethos of fast-paced, viewer-friendly sports.

The USA has been preparing for this moment by promoting cricket domestically and hosting international events recently, such as parts of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The LA 2028 Games will be a significant milestone, offering cricket a global spotlight and giving both men’s and women’s teams a chance to compete for Olympic medals, for the first time in well over a century.

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