Relevant. Candidate to enter the Olympic program at the Los Angeles 2028 Games via its flag football discipline (photo above), American footbal is turning to rugby 7s. With the ambition to be inspired by a strategy that had led the oval ball to find the Olympic Games at the time of the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro. Meeting for the first time this year last week in London, the board of directors of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) invited Mark Egan, the former director of competitions of World Rugby. The Irishman reflected on his experience overseeing the qualification process for the Rio 2016 Rugby Sevens tournament. He stressed the importance of “developing a solid framework for future competitions“, building on the current international cycle, marked by next year’s World Flag Football Championships in Lahti, Finland. As a reminder, flag football is one of the nine sports shortlisted by the Los Angeles 2028 Games Organizing Committee for possible inclusion in the Olympic program. The IFAF will hold its annual congress in October 2023 in Paris. It will bring together the 72 national federations that are members of the body under the presidency of Frenchman Pierre Trochet.
