Joint Statement from the United States and Canada on Haudenosaunee Participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

The United States and Canada call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a confederacy of Indigenous Nations in North America, to compete in lacrosse at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as their own team under their own flag.

The IOC has officially announced that the sport of lacrosse will be included in medal competition at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  The Haudenosaunee invented the sport of lacrosse nearly a thousand years ago.  They consider the sport a treasured part of their cultural heritage, and this sport has since enriched the world.

While participation in the Olympics is generally reserved for recognized countries, the Haudenosaunee are seeking a special exception from the IOC to field their own lacrosse team. Given the unique and exceptional circumstances of the Haudenosaunee’s historic connection to this sport, and their Men’s and Women’s teams continuously ranked participation in international competitive lacrosse for almost half a century, we believe that a narrowly scoped exception is appropriate.

While we respect the IOC’s independence, we encourage the IOC to take advantage of this historic opportunity. Permitting the Haudenosaunee to compete in lacrosse – the sport they invented – would advance the highest values of the Olympic Games and send a powerful message about respecting and valuing indigenous cultural heritage. 

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