Is Olympic Lacrosse on the Horizon?
It’s been a very long time since lacrosse has made an appearance in the Olympic games. The last time the sport had a presence was 1948…almost 70 years ago…in the Summer games in London. Even then, lacrosse’s participation was limited to a demonstration event, after a long gap from their last participation–one of only two Olympics–in 1908. Not surprisingly, only Men’s Lacrosse was included, even though Women’s collegiate lax had been around for two decades.
So what keeps lacrosse out of the Olympic games? Overall, a major answer seems to be lacrosse’s general unfamiliarity outside the USA and Canada, compared to other Olympic sports. A sport needs, among many other things, to have wide recognition and a strong international fan base to be considered. Fortunately, the Federation of International Lacrosse is making huge strides to expand participation and improve the game to make it even more exciting. There are now around 60 countries represented, with Qatar, Greece, Luxembourg and Chile recognized just last year.
Opinions vary as to when Olympic Lacrosse will become a reality, and what changed need to happen to the sport for that to happen. Here are a few recent articles on the subject.
From Inside Lacrosse (insidelacrosse.com):
Opinion: Lacrosse Will Be in the 2028 Olympics, Changing the Sport in Huge, Unforeseen Ways
From US Lacrosse Magazine (uslaxmagazine.com):
World Games Opener Sheds Llight on Lacrosse’s Olympic Prospects
From the Federation of International Lacrosse (filacrosse.com):
As a huge lacrosse as well as Olympics fan, I can’t wait to see this happen. It represents, among many other things, a new goal for HGR Lacrosse players. We can’t wait to see the best of HGR’s best in 2020 (Tokyo), 2024 (Paris), or 2028 (Los Angeles)!
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