The Olympics are in full swing in London with the best athletes in the world showing off their abilities. If you are a frequent reader of the site, at some point you probably thought about the lack of lacrosse in the Olympics. Is it realistic to think that someday it could possibly happen?
Field lacrosse has actually been in the Olympics twice, in 1904 and 1908. Both times there were only two nations. In 1904 Canada and the United States participated, and in 1908 it was Canada and the United Kingdom. Of course times have changed and lacrosse has spread further around the world.
Of the two forms of lacrosse, field is much closer to being back in the Olympics than box is to joining it. Earlier this year the Federation of International Lacrosse was accepted into SportAccord, something that is necessary at this point to be considered to be an Olympic sport. A Federation needs 40 nations to join, and lacrosse currently has 45. There are many nations considering joining as well, including Chile, Columbia, Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Greece, Malaysia, Panama, the Philippines, and Singapore.
There are so many countries that now belong to the FIL as a field member that it is very likely the sport could be considered in the coming years. The one issue is that the United States and Canada are on a much different playing field than the entire rest of the world, who would have very little chance of defeating them. It is also wondered whether the Iroquois would be able to play as their own nation.
Box lacrosse appears to be further away,with fewer members playing in the FIL. For box lacrosse to be considered for the winter games, I think they need to have at least 20 countries playing. Box lacrosse hasn’t really hit the mainstream like field has, when people think lacrosse they think outdoor. For box lacrosse to join as well it needs to become more known around the world and in the United States.
In reality, it isn’t crazy to think that lacrosse could be joining the Olympics soon. When you see some of the sports already in, you’d be surprised lacrosse isn’t. If it does make a come back to the games, it would be a great achievement for the sport and an excellent way to spread the game even further. What do you think about the possibility of lacrosse in the Olympic Games? Leave a comment below with your opinion!
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