It was about time. On Sunday 15 October in Mumbai, the 141st IOC Session officially recognised the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The body, chaired by Frenchman Pierre Trochet, had been waiting in the waiting room since 2013, having been granted only temporary recognition. It is now fully recognised, a step unanimously approved by the session on the eve of the vote to make flag football an additional sport at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. As IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper explained, the IFAF now meets the IOC’s criteria and requirements, including solid governance. IFAF currently has 75 member national federations. It has 5 million members worldwide. It is anything but anecdotal: it can count on the support, resources and even greater influence of the NFL, the powerful North American professional league. Present for the first time last year at the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, flag football will take another step forward in 2028 in Los Angeles when it pushes open the door to the Olympic Games.
