At the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, fans will get their first taste of flag football, a version of American football. The sport was added to the program for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles along with T20 cricket, lacrosse (sixes), baseball/softball and squash.
As we celebrate the successes of the Paris 2024 and the ball is thrown to LA28, we have no doubt flag football is going to light up the Games when it makes its debut in four years’ time.
PIERRE TROCHE
(President, International Federation of American Football)
Flag football is played by an estimated 20 million people in more than 100 countries. Its debut at the Olympics will feature two events, one for men and one for women, with the games being played five-on-five on a 50-yard field. There will be two 20-minute halves with a running clock until the two-minute warning in each half. Each team’s roster will feature twelve players but only five per team will be on the field during play.
As seen in traditional American football, the goal of the game is to advance down the field and into the opposing team’s endzone for a touchdown. However, unlike football as seen in the NFL, there is no contact. Instead, “tackles” are made by removing one of two vinyl flags attached to the ball-carrier’s waist, with a flag located on each side.
Read more at olympics.com
