A team sport is knocking on the door of the Olympic Games. Flag football, a derivative of American football, has just been very officially added to the still imprecise list of candidates for entry into the program for the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028, as additional sports.
A potential winner? Possible. Contested by teams of 5 players, the discipline has no shortage of advantages, especially in the perspective of an Olympic meeting in California. Above all, his case is supported by the NFL, one of the most powerful and wealthy leagues in American professional sport.
The flag football candidacy is supported by the NFL and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The two organizations unveiled this week in Birmingham (Alabama), on the sidelines of the 2022 World Games where flag football is making its debut in a multi-sport event, their joint project, called “ Vision28"
The Frenchman Pierre Trochet, president of the IFAF, explained to FrancsJeux strategy and ambitions.
FrancsJeux : You took advantage of the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, where flag football is making its debut in the program, to present the “Vision28” project. What is it about ?
Pierre Trochet : Vision28 is the name of the group that will lead the flag football bid campaign to enter the Olympic Games program. It is the result of close collaboration between the IFAF and the NFL. The group is co-chaired by Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, and myself. As its name suggests, our ambition was to participate in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
What is Vision28’s strategy for entering the Olympic program?
The first stage takes place in Lausanne. We are aiming for full recognition of the IFAF by the IOC. Today, our international federation only benefits from provisional recognition. We hope to achieve this first objective before the end of the year. It is a prerequisite for entry into the Olympic program. But it is also part of a new dynamic of our international body, initiated over the last six months, with a development of practice, new governance, a reinforced calendar...
Are you already talking with Los Angeles 2028?
We do this through an interlocutor, namely the IOC in Lausanne. But we have also launched a press campaign, particularly in the United States. And we are working hand in hand with the NFL, which must help us reach LA 2028. Our strategy starts from Europe, the IFAF headquarters being located in Paris, but with an American version supported by the NFL.
What role does the NFL play in your Olympic campaign?
The NFL has been our premium partner since day one. But his presence at our side is not limited to this Olympic project alone. It is part of a more global development approach. The NFL's audience is global, with fans numbering in the millions around the world. Our partnership can help us reach these millions of fans and turn them into flag football players. The NFL also participates in the life of the IFAF, in the realization of sporting and development projects. It also provides us with human and technical resources and skills, particularly for the training of coaches.
According to the IOC criteria, an additional sport must be able to attract a young audience, meet the requirement for diversity, not inflate costs and require a reduced quota of athletes. Does flag football check all these boxes?
Not only does he check them all off, but you even just gave the definition of flag football. It is played by men and women, and even by mixed teams in certain competitions, such as the French championship for example. To play, all you need is a ball for 100 or 200 euros, a flag belt for 10 euros, and a pair of sneakers. Teams only have 5 players. Two or three flag courts can fit in a stadium, like in Birmingham for the 2022 World Games. As for its audience, it is very close to that of 3×3 basketball. Generation Z, very oriented towards the clip, the atmosphere, the speed.
Universality has always been an obstacle to the Olympic ambitions of American football...
In its NFL version, American football cannot reach the whole world. Its audience is global, but its practice cannot be, in particular because of the cost of equipment and land. Flag football, on the other hand, is suitable for all ages, all sizes, and can be played in a variety of environments: indoor halls, stadiums, outdoor fields, etc. There are no obstacles to its practice and development. Today, the IFAF has 72 member countries, but the flag is practiced in more than 100 countries.
What is your plan for hoping to enter the Los Angeles 2028 Games?
We are currently present, for the first time, at the World Games in Birmingham, with two tournaments, men's and women's. We will then go to Finland for the American Football Women's World Cup, an eight-team competition. Next year will mark a new stage in our development with, for the first time, a continental flag football competition on each continent. At the same time, on Thursday July 14 in Birmingham, I chaired my first IFAF congress since my election as president last December. We hope to have a response from Los Angeles 2023 to our ambition to enter the Olympic program in 2028.
