Los Angeles: LA28 organisers announced the schedule for the Summer Olympics on Monday, with cricket at its forefront and set to kick off on July 12, less than three years from now. Six men’s and women’s teams will compete with each other in a T20 competition with double headers on most days. The medal matches are scheduled for July 20 and 28, while the tournament is set to take place at the temporary, purpose-built venue at the Fairgrounds in Pomona – a city located about 50 kilometres from Los Angeles.
The double-header games are scheduled for 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM starts, as per local Los Angeles time, which translates to 9:30 PM and 7:00 AM (the next day) as per the Indian Standard Time. There are cricket matches scheduled for July 14 and 21. The qualification pathways for all 12 teams (six men’s and six women’s) will be confirmed by the ICC in due course.
A total of 90 players’ quota will be allocated for men as well as women in the Games Village, for every team to be able to carry 15 players with them in their squads.
The 2028 edition will mark the return of the sport in the Olympics after 128 years, since its only appearance in 1900. The re-inclusion in the Olympics is the extension of sport’s increasing involvement in various multi-sports events, including the Commonwealth Games debut for the women’s game in Birmingham in 2022, while the men had played in the 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur and continued feature in the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023.
