Venue and Format for Cricket in LA Olympics Announced

Cricket, one of the five new sports approved by the IOC in 2023 for inclusion in LA28, will feature six teams in the men’s and women’s tournaments. In addition, the Southern California city of Pomona has been finalised as the venue for the tournaments. The sport has made a comeback in the Olympics after 128 years and will be played in a fast T20 format with 90 athlete quotas allocated for each gender.

The selection criteria for the competing teams have not been finalized, but the United States, as the host nation, may make the cut. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has 12 full member countries and another 94 associate member countries, with India and New Zealand as the current T20 world champions.

Cricket is being increasingly included in multi-sporting events owing to its heightened popularity and the easy T20 format. Post the LA Olympic announcement, cricket has also been chosen for the Asian Games 2026 over open-water swimming.