International Cricket Council CEO Sanjog Gupta on Thursday described the groundbreaking of the cricket venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as the fulfilment of a long-awaited “promise”, marking the sport’s return to the Games after 128 years.

“This is a moment in history because what we are breaking ground on today is not simply a cricket field. We are breaking ground on a promise. A promise that took 128 years to keep,” Gupta said at the ceremony.

Cricket’s inclusion was approved by the International Olympic Committee, a move Gupta said reflects the sport’s global appeal.

“That’s how long the world’s second most popular sport, a game played and passionately followed by more than 2.5 billion people, has been missing from the Olympic stage.

“When the International Olympic Committee formally approved cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Games, it wasn’t just a scheduling announcement. It was a recognition that the Olympics should reflect the sports that billions of people love,” he said.

The venue at Pomona, which also serves as the home of the Los Angeles Knight Riders, was chosen for its community-driven legacy.

“I can’t imagine a better venue than Pomona for the coming together of this promise… There is something fitting, almost poetic, about the fact that a venue built on the idea of community coming together will now host a sport that, at its very core, is all about community.”

Gupta credited the Knight Riders group for helping grow cricket in the United States and emphasised the Olympic stage’s reach.

“When the LA28 Games take place in July 2028, the eyes of four billion Olympic viewers will be on Los Angeles… That is not just a sporting moment, it is a cultural one.”

“The Olympics remind us why sport matters… Two years from now, at this very ground, it will finally have it on the world’s biggest sporting stage.”

Published on Apr 23, 2026