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The United States and Canada released a joint statement Friday calling on the International Olympic Committee to allow the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to compete in men’s and women’s lacrosse at the 2028 Olympics, which are set to take place in Los Angeles.

Lacrosse hasn’t been featured as an Olympic sport since 1908. World Lacrosse, the sport’s international governing body, has been pushing for its re-entry into the games for decades. In October 2023, the IOC approved lacrosse’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.

As a result, the Haudenosaunee has advocated for their national team to participate in the 2028 games. The Haudenosaunee are credited with creating lacrosse nearly a thousand years ago and consider it a pillar of their culture.

“The Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse Organization would like to express our sincere gratitude to President Joseph R. Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for their steadfast support of our inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” the Haudenosaunee Nationals team stated in a Friday afternoon X post. “We are most appreciative of today’s joint statement from the United States and Canadian governments.”

Biden first announced his support for the Haudenosaunee Nationals competing under their own flag in 2028 on Dec. 6, 2023, during the White House Tribal Nations Summit. The main hurdle for the Haudenosaunee admittance into the Olympics is they’re not a country. However, they believe their deeply-rooted connection to lacrosse warrants a special exception, per the U.S.-Canada joint statement.

“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,” the joint statement reads.

The Haudenosaunee Nationals recently competed in the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, New York, with both the men’s and women’s teams earning a bronze medal. Six current and former SU players were on the Haudenosaunee’s roster for the men’s tournament, including sophomore Syracuse men’s lacrosse attack Trey Deere.

He and the five other SU alumni — Cody Jamieson, Randy Staats, Brendan Bomberry, Warren Hill and Jeremy Thompson — have the chance to be on the Haudenosaunee’s 2028 Olympic team, pending the IOC’s approval of their entry into the games.

Published on January 17, 2025 at 4:33 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews