Haudenosaunee Lacrosse Eyes 2028 Olympics
The Haudenosaunee Nationals are in constant contact with the International Olympic Committee about possibly playing at the Los Angeles Summer Games.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Olympics
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The Haudenosaunee Nationals are in constant contact with the International Olympic Committee about possibly playing lacrosse at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, where the sport returns to the Olympic program. The Haudenosaunee, an Indigenous people who invented lacrosse, have long competed separately from Canada and the United States in international events.
Why it matters
Lacrosse's return to the Olympics opens a path for a team representing an Indigenous nation to compete on the sport's global stage. The talks reflect how the sport's origins are being weighed against Olympic eligibility structures.
The Haudenosaunee men are ranked fifth in the world sixes ranking while the women are unranked. Whether the International Olympic Committee will admit a Haudenosaunee team to the 2028 Games has not been determined.
The players
Haudenosaunee Nationals
The national lacrosse team representing the Haudenosaunee people, which has competed separately from Canada and the United States in international competitions for decades.
International Olympic Committee
The international body that governs the Olympic Games and decides which sports and teams participate.
Leo Nolan
Executive director of the Haudenosaunee Nationals, leading the team's talks with the IOC.
The details
Leo Nolan, executive director of the Haudenosaunee Nationals, says the team is cautiously optimistic about playing at the Olympics in the new sixes discipline. The Haudenosaunee people live in Ontario, Quebec and New York.
Timeline
2028: Summer Games in Los Angeles, with lacrosse returning to the Olympic program
Season Trajectory
Lacrosse's return to the Olympic program in 2028 follows its earlier appearances in 1904 and 1908. A Haudenosaunee entry would place the sport's originators directly into that renewed competitive lineage.
If the Haudenosaunee gain IOC approval, the men's team's world sixes ranking of fifth would be a key factor in their competitive standing. Fans following lacrosse would then have a new national team to track in the Olympic tournament.
The takeaway
The Haudenosaunee's bid highlights how the sport they created may return to the Olympics with its originators represented. Following the IOC talks will show whether that representation becomes a reality by 2028.
Further reading
Explore more on the Olympics and how the Games are shaping global sport.
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Should Indigenous nations like the Haudenosaunee be allowed to compete separately at the Olympics?
