Lacrosse becomes an Olympic sport, but the game’s inventors could be banned – 10/25/2023 – Sport

At major lacrosse events, a Native American team called the Haudenosaunee plays alongside countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. The team has been competitive, winning three bronze medals in the men’s competition at the world championships, including one this year.

Success comes naturally, as Native Americans invented lacrosse centuries ago.

Now, the sport has achieved an international breakthrough by being added to the Olympics for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. But despite Native Americans’ long history in the game, the Haudenosaunee may not be present. The Olympics typically only allow teams representing recognized nations.

The Haudenosaunee team, formerly called the Iroquois, represents the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in upstate New York, Ontario and Quebec: Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora.

But the Haudenosaunee is not a member of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) or the UN (United Nations). And both the United States and Canada already have their own lacrosse teams.

While lacrosse officials seemed eager to find a way to get the team to the Olympics, the IOC, which will decide the issue, had discouraging words, at least for now. “Only national Olympic committees recognized by the IOC can register teams for the Olympic Games,” it said in a statement. The organization also said that the United States and Canada could include Haudenosaunee athletes on their respective teams.

For similar reasons, the Haudenosaunee was initially not included in the 2022 World Games, a competition for sports not part of the Olympics. In the end, Ireland withdrew, allowing the team to play. “What kind of competition would you have in lacrosse if the first nation to play, and still one of the best, wasn’t represented?” Peter Milliman, then coach of the Haudenosaunee men’s team, said at the time.

World Lacrosse, the sport’s governing body, said in a statement that it is committed to finding “creative solutions to showcase the sport’s history and enable a pathway for the Haudenosaunee to participate in the Olympics while respecting the framework of the Olympic Games.”

“What an honor to be considered,” Leo Nolan, executive director of the Haudenosaunee team, said of the chance to go to the Games. “Whatever works for us to be considered, we will move forward with that effort.” He said he was optimistic something could be resolved: “We want to make this happen as quickly as possible.”

LA28, the Games’ organizing committee, published in a statement that it intends to “find creative solutions that honor the heritage of the sport and allow the participation of Haudenosaunee athletes, respecting the framework of the Olympic Games established by the IOC.”

It’s not the first time that the unconventional nature of the Haudenosaunee team has led to confusion. The British government denied the team visas to participate in the 2010 world championships because its players wanted to travel on their tribal passports, which were not recognized in Britain.

Another sport that will enter the 2028 Games and which is likely to face a dilemma is cricket. In this sport, the West Indies have competed as a team for almost a century. But for the Olympics, it will likely have to split into smaller teams representing Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada and several other countries, significantly diluting its strength.

Despite its ideals of peace and going beyond borders, the Olympics have always been deferential to existing nations. Unrecognized countries, such as Tibet or the Basque region in Spain, were not allowed to participate.

Although the International Olympic Committee is not known for its flexibility, there are some exceptions to national team rules. Some territories, like Puerto Rico and Hong Kong, have their own teams. Starting in 2016, a small team of refugees born in places like South Sudan and Afghanistan but now living elsewhere competed.

The United Kingdom, which competes as a nation in the Olympics, traditionally does not enter football teams because on the international football stage, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compete separately. In 2012, because the Games were held in London, special teams of British men and women were formed.

The Los Angeles Games will not be the first time lacrosse has appeared in the Olympics. In 1904, in Saint Louis, a team made up of Native Americans from the Mohawk tribe won a bronze medal representing Canada.

In part to keep the growing number of athletes at the Games in check, the form of lacrosse that was added for 2028 will feature six players on each team, rather than the ten-a-side version familiar from world championships and college games and from highschool. There’s no reason to think the Haudenosaunee team wouldn’t be a contender.

If she gets there.