Haudenosaunee Nationals ‘optimistic’ about playing lacrosse at L.A. Olympics

The Haudenosaunee Nationals say they’re in “pretty constant contact” with the International Olympic Committee about possibly playing lacrosse at the upcoming 2028 Summer Games.

The Haudenosaunee are an Indigenous people that live in Ontario, Quebec and New York.

They invented the sport of lacrosse and have competed separately from Canada and the United States in international competitions for decades.

Lacrosse is set to return to the Olympic program when Los Angeles hosts the Games in less than two years.

Leo Nolan, executive director of the Haudenosaunee Nationals, says his teams are “cautiously optimistic” about playing at the Olympics in the new sixes discipline.

The Haudenosaunee men are ranked fifth in the world sixes ranking while the women are unranked.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2026.

The Canadian Press