Flag football, cricket, baseball-softball, lacrosse and squash were approved for inclusion at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles on Monday. It’s the first time flag football will be contested as an Olympic sport and the first time cricket returns to the Games since 1900.
The slew of sports were added by the International Olympic Committee during a meeting in Mumbai. All five sports were voted in as a single package with just two dissenting votes from about 90 IOC members in the room, according to the Associated Press.
Former Patriots and Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski already has expressed his interest in competing in Olympic flag football before the vote was even held.
“Hopefully there’s no tryouts, and they just accept me,” Gronkowski told TMZ last week. “But I’m in. I’m going for that if there is flag football in the Olympics in 2028. USA going all the way!”
Five years is a long way away, but a slew of NFL stars likely will be interested in competing on the international stage.
“The NFL is committed to working together to strengthen flag football’s place in the Olympic movement long term,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
It’s official! We’ve added brand new sports to our #LA28 Olympic Games lineup.
— LA28 (@LA28) October 16, 2023
⚾️ Baseball, 🥎 Softball, 🚩🏈 Flag Football, 🥍 Lacrosse, ⚫️ Squash, 🏏 Cricket
Get more info on LA28’s full Olympic sport program: https://t.co/4CSIlhkBiI pic.twitter.com/c2ZOcy2EK8
