International Olympic Committee Picks Five New Sports For 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Including Flag Football & Lacrosse

The International Olympic Committee has added five sports to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics – flag football, lacrosse, squash, cricket and baseball/softball.

The committee’s rules dictate that each host city can ask to add several sports for their games.

Thomas Bach, the committee’s president, stated, “The choice of these five new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world while bringing international sports to the United States. These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique.”

American football was previously presented as a demonstration sport in the 1932 Los Angeles Games, but 2028 will mark the first year that flag football will become an Olympic event.

Several players of the National Football League, as well as the League itself, announced that they were more than willing to participate in the flag football event in 2028.

The World Squash Federation has made several unsuccessful applications to give squash Olympic status. Finally, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will be the first time in which squash will become an event.

Lacrosse, on the other hand, appeared at the Olympics two times as a medal sport, once in Saint Louis 1904 and again in London 1908.

For Los Angeles 2028, the lacrosse competition will be played in a “sixes” format.

World Lacrosse said in a statement it believes that using this format “offers an inclusionary opportunity to all lacrosse athletes and an easier entry point for new players, and is characterized by an accelerated, open style of play with quick transitions and non-stop, high-scoring action.'”

On the game’s format, they added: “Developed in 2018, sixes has advanced global growth, increased accessibility and approachability, created greater competitive balance, and reduced cost and complexity of participation and event staging. It is the next generation version of the game.”

Cricket is also making a comeback in the 2028 Olympics since it has not made an appearance since 1900.

The Los Angeles games will include a six-team Twenty20 cricket tournament for men and women.

This sport has worldwide popularity, but it has not received much attention in the U.S. until early 2023. It was during this time when the first season of Major League Cricket, a competition centered around the game’s shorter format, took place.

Both baseball and softball have been in several Olympic games in the past – baseball has been in six games and softball in five. Their most recent appearance was Tokyo 2020.

The committee stated that they examined how popular the sport is in the United States and worldwide in picking which ones to include for 2028.