Pomona to host cricket at LA28 but US team s participation in doubt

A temporary stadium at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, will stage mens and womens cricket at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 but the host United States team cannot take their place in the competition for granted.

Cricket, one of the five new sports in Los Angeles, will return to the Olympics after 128 years, featuring six teams each in the mens and womens competition in the 20-overs format.

International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah was pleased with the venue named by the organisers on Tuesday.

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, Shah said in a statement.

The ICC declined to comment on the qualification process for the tournament when contacted by Reuters.

An official, who attended the governing bodys meeting in Harare last weekend, said the ICC had yet to determine how to pick the six teams for the LA Games.

Cricket is returning to the Olympics after such a long time and you naturally want to showcase the best talents, the official told Reuters, requesting anonymity.

Youd ideally like to send the top six teams in the mens and womens sections, which is why its tough to say whether the US will play.

They are not a full-member (of the ICC) but being the Olympic hosts, the US naturally have a claim to be there, which makes it such a tough decision.

The U.S. co-hosted the T20 World Cup in 2024 along with West Indies.

They currently rank 18th in the mens T20 list and 26th in the womens table.

Like at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, a single member nation could represent West Indies should