Steve Waugh, the legendary Australian cricketer, recently revealed that China is seriously preparing to compete for the gold medal in cricket at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Cricket's return to the Olympics, after 128 years since its only appearance in 1900, has generated immense excitement. Back then, Great Britain defeated France by 158 runs to claim the gold medal.
Waugh shared his thoughts on the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics, stating that China is already building a team to win the gold. He emphasized that China’s commitment is clear: "As soon as cricket's inclusion in the Olympics was announced, China started building a team. They are serious about winning gold." Waugh also reflected on the growing dominance of T20 cricket, which he believes will continue to thrive and surpass Test cricket in popularity. "T20 is massive now. It's billions of dollars, and it's growing every day. Test cricket will survive, but T20 will dominate. Players will soon be contracted mainly to franchises. Test matches might even need special permissions," Waugh explained.
The Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee has confirmed that the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, will host cricket during the Games. Cricket was officially added to the LA28 Olympics program at the International Olympic Committee's 141st Session in Mumbai in October 2023. It joins five other new sports: baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (six-a-side), and squash.
For the Olympic tournament, 90 athlete quotas have been allocated, with six-team competitions in both the men’s and women’s events, each team consisting of 15 players. Cricket's resurgence at major multi-sport events is already evident, with women's cricket making its debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Australia won gold and India claimed silver. In the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, both the men's and women's cricket teams from India secured gold, showcasing the growing prominence of the sport on the international stage.
