NFL Is All Hands-On For Flag Football At Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics
Thursday, July 14, 2022 at 05:26PM By Barry Janoff
July 14, 2022: In its on-going and burgeoning efforts to have flag football included as an official sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the NFL said that Pierre Trochet, president of the International Federation of American Football, and Troy Vincent, NFL evp-football operations, have been named co-chairs of the newly formed "Vision28" Group
The NFL said the Vision28 Group was formed to "lead flag football's efforts toward inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Games."
The news was shared during the World Games 2022, now being staged throughout Birmingham, Ala., where flag football is making its first appearance.
The NFL is presenting partner for flag football at the World Games, which includes eight women's and eight men's teams representing ten countries.
Flag football is a variant of NFL football where, instead of tackling, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end a down.
"We see flag football as an all-inclusive sport, which makes it a great vehicle to spread the values of American football around the world," Vincent said via the NFL.
According to the NFL, the Vision28 group will “bring together key executives and ambassadors from IFAF, the NFL and the wider American football community, with a mission to showcase everything flag football can offer to LA28 and the Olympic movement, long-term.”
Among the numerous steps needed for flag football to become an Olympic sport, IFAF has been provisionally recognized by the International Olympic Committee, is a member of the Global Association of International Sports Federations and is a signatory to the WADA Code global drug enforcement organization.
IFAF, the international governing body for the sport of American football, including flag football, said it has 72 member nations across five continents.
Under IOC rules, Olympic host nations can propose to the IOC adding sports specifically for their edition of the Games.
Most recently, organizers for the Tokyo Summer Games — originally planned for 2020 but moved to 2021 due to COVID-19 — proposed five sports to the IOC: baseball-softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. All were accepted.
This past February, to coincide with the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the IOC formally approved a proposal to include surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The three sports were already part of the roster for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
The IOC said it would consider in 2024 any additional Olympic sports to be included in the 2028 Games proposed by LA28.
"We see flag football as an all-inclusive sport, which makes it a great vehicle to spread the values of American football around the world."
“It is important, with the Olympics as an ultimate goal, but we also have a task in growing (flag football) and having a solid competition plan over the next five, six, seven years on every continent,” Trochet said via the IFAF.
“The Olympics are the biggest global stage for sports in the world. Flag football can be played by men and women and also be coed, it's easy to integrate and safe to play.”
According to the NFL, more than “24,000 school communities are using NFL Flag-In-School kits to build high-achieving futures for their students through physical education.
Under the auspices of the NFL, 16 NFL Flag Regional Tournaments presented by Subway during 2022 will cumulate with the NFL Flag Championships during the 2023 Pro Bowl presented by Subway.
Flag football joined the World Games sports program alongside 33 other disciplines at the Olympic-style, multi-sport event, following its inclusion by the International World Games Association in 2020.
Men’s teams included Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Panama and the U.S.
Women’s teams included Austria, Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Panama and the U.S.
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