How Indigenous Athletes Are Reclaiming Lacrosse

“What kind of competition would you have in lacrosse if the first nation to ever play, and still one of the best, isn’t represented?” said the men’s team’s coach, Peter Milliman, who does not have Indigenous heritage.

That very question could echo until the 2028 Olympics.

In 2018, the I.O.C. offered so-called provisional recognition to World Lacrosse (then known as the Federation of International Lacrosse), which meant the federation and its several dozen member nations could receive financial support from the I.O.C. The decision was also interpreted as a sign that lacrosse, last contested as a medal event in 1904 and 1908, could make a return to the Olympic program in time for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

But if the Olympic community embraces what is, in a way, the most quintessentially American sport for an upcoming U.S.-based Games, can they reasonably exclude its creators?

For the Haudenosaunee, there are some theoretical pathways to participation.

There are already close to a dozen territories that have I.O.C. membership despite not having membership in the U.N., including Puerto Rico and Hong Kong. To be formally recognized by the I.O.C., the Haudenosaunee would need to form a National Olympic Committee, which, among other administrative details, would require them to assemble athletes in at least four other sports.

Some see the traditional path to I.O.C. membership as onerous, given the time constraints. The I.O.C. could also extend a special invitation of sorts to the Haudenosaunee, perhaps akin to how it has allowed teams of refugees to compete at recent Games.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/sports/how-indigenous-athletes-are-reclaiming-lacrosse.html