LAUSANNE, October 17, 2023 - Now that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed to include lacrosse in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, this question arises: will a Native American nation, for the first time in history, be allowed to attend the Games with its own flag and their national anthem?

Lacrosse is primarily dominated by the national team of the Iroquois, a confederation of the Six Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. They reside in a treaty-defined area straddling the borders of Canada and the United States.

IDENTITY The Iroquois are known for creating the game approximately 500 years ago, and five centuries later, this new Olympic sport remains under the influence of the people who originally referred to it as "Little War." Not only do the Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee, perform at the highest level (ranking 3rd in the world), but the game still carries cultural and spiritual importance for them.

For the Iroquois, lacrosse is a vital part of their identity.

IROQUOIS RECOGNIZED In 1983, the Iroquois decided to use their dominance in the sport to further their fight for sovereignty and independence from Canada and the United States. As a result, the International Lacrosse Federation recognized the Iroquois as a national team.

But as the Iroquois insist on travelling solely on their Haudenosaunee passport, it resulted in a serious clash at the World Championships in 2010 in Manchester because the United Kingdom wouldn’t accept their passport. Then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton secured single-use waivers to allow the team to travel, but the UK still insisted on a US or Canadian passport accompanying the waivers.

When the 2022 World Games took place in Birmingham, in the USA, the Iroquois' inclusion didn’t seem like a problem this time. The third-placed Iroquois were among the eight best teams of the 2018 World Championships to have qualified for the Games. However, since the World Games have close ties to the IOC, and the Iroquois are not among the 206 IOC-recognized National Olympic Committees, they were omitted.

OLYMPIC DREAMS In 2018, the International Olympic Committee provisionally recognized lacrosse, taking the initial steps to potentially return to the Olympics. The Iroquois realized that if they were not allowed to compete in the World Games, their Olympic dreams would be dead.

This aspect had an impact on Ireland, which was added to the eight-team field because of the Iroquois’ exclusion. Meanwhile, more than 50,000 people signed a petition to include the Iroquois in the World Games field.

The Irish then withdrew from the competition with a firm request that the Iroquois would take their place. The Iroquois were then instructed to obtain letters from the US and Canadian lacrosse federations, as well as the US and Canadian Olympic Committees, confirming no objections to their participation. Later, the World Games announced that the Iroquois Nationals were part of the competition.

NEW OLYMPIC SPORT Adding lacrosse to the 2028 Olympic Games, now brings about the biggest fight of all. The Iroquois are actively working on establishing a National Olympic Committee, but the IOC only recognizes an NOC if that country is recognized by more than half of the United Nations. The Iroquois are not UN members…

Lyle Thompson, one of the leading figures in lacrosse, recently said: "We are ready to fight for our sovereignty in front of the Olympic committee. We have our land, our own laws, chiefs, and leaders. So it’s important to carry our own flag. Not just for the Haudenosaunee, but for other indigenous people. We want to be recognized as who we are and who we have always been.”

IROQUOIS FEAR The Iroquois fear, that IOC is bothered by the idea that allowing them into the Olympics, could set a precedent for other marginalized groups to demand inclusion. Therefore, the Iroquois want to focus on the fact that their dream matches all the Olympic values. It’s about competing at the highest level, but also about equality, inclusion, respect, and expanding the definition of a nation in the Olympic and sporting world.