There’s an irony to be found in banning a Native American nation team from competing in a sport created by Native Americans. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has granted provisional recognition status for lacrosse, which made many lacrosse fans cheer for inclusion over this decision, but not so fast.
This would’ve been a win for everybody, especially Americans who recognize lacrosse as an important part of culture and sports history in the country. But players from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a composition of six Native nations from North America, are being excluded from competing by the IOC in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
This is despite the Haudenosaunee Nationals being recognized by World Lacrosse and being among the best-performing teams in the world at 3rd place. This goes to show that indigenous people had to work harder for recognition, and they still have to double down to prove themselves deserving of a spot to compete in the biggest sporting competition on Earth.
Lacrosse was already being played by tribes in Northeastern America long before European settlers came along to the United States and Canada. Although Geoge Beers published the sport’s first rulebook, the tribespeople in Northeastern America were the ones to create the game. Regardless of the cultural significance and spiritual importance the sport has to the Haudenosaunee, the IOC does not recognize the Haudenosaunee Confederacy among the national Olympic committees. World Lacrosse still hopes to find a “creative solution” to this problem with the IOC.
Many have already rejoiced in the acceptance of lacrosse in the Olympic games. The inclusion of the Haudenosaunee Nationals, regardless of the passports they carry, would be an even bigger step forward for indigenous people in the sporting world. The IOC has a few years to mull this decision over carefully, so hopefully they can adjust rather than bar these players on a technicality.
(featured image: Haudenosaunee Nationals)
