By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Flag football will take center stage during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, after organizers confirmed the sport’s medal matches will be held in primetime slots in its first-ever Olympic appearance.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF), in partnership with the National Football League (NFL), announced on Monday that the men’s and women’s medal games are scheduled for Friday evening, July 21, and Saturday afternoon, July 22, at BMO Stadium near downtown Los Angeles.
The announcement comes as senior IFAF and NFL delegations visit Los Angeles for the first official meetings with Games organizers, marking exactly three years to the day before the LA28 Opening Ceremony.
“Flag football will definitely be a hot ticket at the Games,” IFAF President Pierre Trochet told Reuters on Monday.
“We’re going to be at a great stadium right in the heart of the city and we’re going to have fantastic players on the field with NFL players available.”
Flag football is a non-contact variation of American football in which players wear flags attached to their waists. Instead of tackling, defensive players must remove a flag from the ball carrier to end a play. The sport is played on a smaller field with fewer players per side.
The inclusion of flag football in LA28 follows a vote by NFL owners allowing NFL players to participate in the Olympic competition.
Trochet said the primetime scheduling was a clear statement of a shared ambition to ensure flag football contributes a “defining element” of LA28’s success.
Organizers hope to capture the excitement of “Friday Night Lights,” a cherished American tradition, and generate iconic moments for the sport’s Olympic launch.
“We could not dream of a better setup to start our debut in the Olympic movement and Olympic journey,” he said.
The IFAF delegation, including managing director Andy Fuller and senior NFL executives, is set to tour Exposition Park and other venues over a three-day visit.
The group will also meet with key LA28 organizing committee members and attend the launch of a new NFL flag football brand campaign, which features Olympic gymnastics champion Jordan Chiles and flag football athletes from Australia and the U.S.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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