Flag football in the Olympics? Cricket, lacrosse also expected as new sports for 2028

Flag football may soon be an Olympic sport.

The organizing committee for the Los Angeles Games announced Monday it will propose adding flag football to the Olympic program for 2028, in addition to three other new sports: Cricket, lacrosse and squash. The organizing committee is also hoping to bring back baseball and softball, which have been off-and-on sports at the Summer Games.

The International Olympic Committee is expected to consider, and almost certainly approve, the proposed new sports at its session in Mumbai, India over the next week.

Casey Wasserman, the chairperson of the LA28 organizing committee, said the new sports "ignite the imagination on the field of play and drive culture off it."

"They’re relevant, innovative and community-based, played in backyards, schoolyards, community centers, stadiums and parks across the U.S. and the globe," Wasserman said.

Flag football and cricket, in particular, had been viewed as strong contenders to make the cut for the 2028 Games. Each has been campaigning for Olympic inclusion for several years and offers clear benefits for the IOC and the Olympic world more broadly.

Flag football's push for the Olympics has been backed by the marketing behemoth that is the NFL, which views the Games as a way to grow interest in the sport globally. NFL executives have touted flag football, played on a 50-yard field with five players aside, as a more accessible alternative to its full-contact version. It also has the potential for both men and women to compete, which is line with one of the IOC's recent stated goals of gender equity.

"When we talk about the future of the game of football, it is, no question, flag," NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent told the Associated Press last year. "When I’ve been asked over the last 24 months, in particular, what does the next 100 years look like when you look at football, not professional football, it’s flag. It’s the inclusion and the true motto of 'football for all.' There is a place in flag football for all."

Cricket, meanwhile, could provide a monetary boon for the IOC and its partners. It is the dominant sport in India, which IOC officials have long viewed as a key untapped market, and multiple news outlets have reported that adding cricket to the 2028 sports program could inflate the value of Olympic television rights in India by $100 million or more.

Lacrosse and squash were considered to be more borderline possibilities. The former has deep roots in the U.S. but lacks the global popularity of other Olympic sports. The latter unsuccessfully sought to be included at both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games.

If approved by the IOC next week, as expected, the four new sports would be the latest in a series of outsiders to join the Olympic program. Surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing all made their Olympic debuts at the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, and breakdancing will join them at the 2024 Games in Paris next summer.

It is unclear what the inclusion of these five sports would mean for other sports or disciplines. The IOC has set a cap of 10,500 athletes at the Summer Games, so the addition of multiple team sports would likely force some sort of cuts to others.

Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @Tom_Schad.