Honor the origins. Let the Haudenosaunee play.

The Story

Lacrosse was created by the Haudenosaunne around a thousand years ago, it has since been titled the creator's game. Lacrosse is a tradition of ceremony, community, and of dignity. The sport was first included in the Olympics in 1904 and 1908 but was then excluded and dropped from the games. In the 2028 LA Olympics lacrosse will officially make its return in a 6v6 layout where teams will compete on a shortened field in a fast paced game.

With its reinvented inclusion many countries are eager to compete. Although the people who invented the sport the Haudenosaunne, face Olympic Committee rules that block them from competing under their own flag for the games. The issue is the Haudenosaunne are not recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the IOC states that only teams recognized as a country can participate in the Olympic games, unless ahtletes play under the refugee flag.

This is unjust, the IOC prohibiting the Haudenosaunne from playing is a huge misstep. In an ever developing and changing world the IOC should adjust their rules and make an exception to honor the creators of lacrosse and let the Haudenosaunne play. The Haudenosaunne are backed by the former president Joe Biden, the United States Government, the Canadian Government, as well as the World Lacrosse organization. The wide support the Haudenosaunne have for playing under their own flag at the Olympics displays the scale of this issue. Lastly the Haudenosaunne have their own passports which permit them to travel to many countries and they are recognized as a sovereign nation by a multitude of other countries. With all this in mind it only makes sense for the Haudenosaunne to play in the Olympics under their own flag.