For the first time since 1904, North America’s first sport will be competitively featured on the Olympic stage.
Following recommendation from the LA28 Organizing Committee, The International Olympic Committee has officially approved lacrosse for the 2028 Los Angeles summer games.
Derived from a Native American ritualistic competition, lacrosse was once played to the death across a parameter spanning for miles. Modern day’s rendition is typically seen on a 100m x 55m field, with 10 players per team.
The Olympics will feature a version known as World Lacrosse Sixes, a rapidly paced adaptation of regulation game.
Played with six athletes per team on a 70m x 36m pitch with four eight-minute quarters, sixes total to 32 minutes of game play with a five minute half time. Teams will play with a 30 second shot-clock, meaning each offense must attempt a shot on goal to avoid possession turnover. In the event of a tie, sudden-death overtime will be issued in four minute increments. Sixes have generated recent popularity around the speedy nature of matches, promising an engaging and exhilarating experience for Olympic viewers.
Worldwide competition isn’t a new concept to lacrosse. World Lacrosse, an organization comprised of 90 registered countries across four continental federations, has hosted a multitude of international tournaments. USA teams have medaled in all 46, having won gold 34 times.
Although historically dominant, the USA is among countries representing all four registered continents in the top ten ranking of world lacrosse teams, promising competitive gameplay for the 2028 Olympic games.
USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio is optimistic in regards to the Olympic return. Riccio spoke of the implications in a press release given by USA Lacrosse, “The Olympics gives our sport the platform and visibility to achieve unprecedented growth. We can’t wait to get started on the next chapter in the sport’s history.” Riccio claims this addition is a long time coming, telling US Lacrosse that many advocates have been “working towards this goal for years.”
Although lacrosse undoubtedly has established a place in athletics, it has yet to gain the exposure that members of it’s community wish to see. A reappearance on the Olympic field is the exact momentum supporters were hoping for to initiate this traction.
While global lacrosse fans celebrate a monumental victory, the world’s best athletes begin to gear up for the first time in over a century for the sport’s most elite level of competition.
