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The debut of ‘flag football’ on the agenda of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, along with the return of lacrosse—a sport last included 80 years ago at the London 1948 Games—has sparked a debate across American countries regarding taste, popularity, and expansion possibilities.
Should substantial economic efforts be allocated to create confederations and promote tournaments for sports with little tradition in our region, which may not have continuity beyond the 2028 event or the Brisbane 2032 Games?
In Los Angeles, the venue for the thirty-fourth Olympic Games, five sports will be added to the program: flag football, known as ‘flag football’ in the United States, tocho in Mexico, or NL football in Canada; baseball and softball, cricket, lacrosse, and squash.
“It is crucial to study this situation closely, as some of the sports included in Los Angeles do not have deep development in our region. Some don’t even have a Pan American organization, and others are not being developed in our countries,” expressed Neven Ilic, president of Panam Sports, during an interview with EFE.
However, he clarified that the organization’s regulations, which he has presided over since April 26, 2017, are “very clear” regarding the programming of its competitions, like the most emblematic event: the Pan American Games.
Among the regulations, he mentioned that: “to be part of the Pan American Games, there must be a presence in more than 50% of the countries in our region, along with sports development and competitions.”
Baseball and softball have participated several times in the Olympic Games, with the most recent being Tokyo 2020. Cricket was part of the program during the Paris 1900 edition.
Lacrosse (sixes) was included in the program at the St. Louis 1904 and London 1908 Games. The Olympic debut for flag football and squash is yet to unfold.
Regarding flag football and lacrosse—originating from the 12th century—Ilic acknowledged their impact needs to be studied, as there is currently no “defined framework” for their integration.
Lacrosse is recognized as the official summer sport in Canada, where it is especially popular in the south and draws attention in the northern United States.
Ilic recalled that cricket enjoys significant popularity in the Caribbean, one of the many regions in America where baseball reigns supreme.
Ilic admitted that it can be a delicate issue to urge an Olympic committee to recognize a federation and generate resources for that federation when, likely after Los Angeles, the sports at Brisbane may differ.
“We must be careful in how we handle this,” he added.
I celebrate that such matters are “on the Executive Committee’s table as part of the decisions that need to be made in the short term.”
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