Haudenosaunee Nationals 'optimistic' about playing lacrosse at L.A. Olympics

Lois Garlow of the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team heads toward the sideline during a match against Canada at the World Games in Birmingham, Ala., July 24, 2022. Members of the Haudenosaunee are hopeful they will have a chance to play the sport their people invented when lacrosse returns to the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Paul Newberry)

The Haudenosaunee Nationals are still hopeful they can play lacrosse at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

An Indigenous people that live in Ontario, Quebec and New York, the Haudenosaunee invented lacrosse centuries before European settlers arrived in North America. In recognition of their role as creators of the game, the Haudenosaunee Nationals have competed separately from Canada and the United States in all international lacrosse competitions for decades.

“We’re cautiously optimistic, but we’ve still got a big lift to do yet,” said Leo Nolan, executive director of the Haudenosaunee Nationals, on playing at the Olympics. “We’re working in that regard.”

Men’s lacrosse was contested at the 1904 and 1908 Olympics. Canada won gold both times and a team comprised entirely of Haudenosaunee athletes playing under the Canadian flag took bronze in 1904.

Nolan said that his organization has been speaking with the International Olympic Committee for years about what needs to be done for the Haudenosaunee to compete as its own entity.

Olympic teams don’t necessarily represent countries.

Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, has competed at the Olympics since 1948. The IOC currently recognizes 206 national Olympic committees, 13 more than the member states of the United Nations.

“We certainly have provided a lot of information to the IOC,” said Nolan. “We’ve been in pretty constant contact with them, and we’re waiting for them to review all the documents.

“If there’s more that they need to make our case better known to them, we’ll be all in.”

If the IOC does allow the Haudenosaunee to compete in men’s and women’s lacrosse, it could create a new precedent for inclusion at the Games. For example, curling and golf were both created in Scotland but Scottish athletes have competed under the flag of Great Britain since the inception of the modern Olympics.

“We believe it’s a win-win for everyone, a win for Olympics, a win certainly for the Haudenosaunee, but a win for other games in general,” said Nolan. “It’s the only game that comes from a native standpoint, from an Indigenous background, that’s in now.”

Nolan said that he has not been given a timetable for a decision from the IOC.

A new format of the sport called sixes was created for the Olympics, combining indoor and field lacrosse into one outdoor version of the game.

The World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., in October 2027 will serve as the primary qualifier for the sport’s return to the Olympics. The U.S. automatically qualifies as the host nation if its men’s and women’s teams participate in the world championships.

Four men’s and four women’s teams from other countries will also earn their Olympic berths at the worlds.

The last remaining Olympic slot for each gender will be determined in early 2028 at a final qualifying tournament that will feature the top six men’s and women’s teams not already qualified, based on world rankings.

The Haudenosaunee men are fifth in the world sixes ranking while the women are unranked.

Nolan said that the Haudenosaunee Nationals are ensuring that their players are ready to play and win in sixes while the IOC does its due diligence.

“It’s a different type of game. It’s still a ball and stick but at the same time, it’s a different type of game, so you have to really practise this kind of thing,” said Nolan. “Like any other group, our folks have jobs, family, service they’re doing in their community, so it takes away from the time that they can devote to their families.

“We really appreciate these men and women that are willing to take the time away from all the other responsibilities they have to come and join us and be part of it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press