US, Canada make statement to committee

One of the last actions of the Biden administration was the release of a joint statement with Canada outlining both countries’ support for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to be able to participate in the lacrosse events at the 2028 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles.

The January 17 statement outlined the belief that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should allow the Haudenosaunee Nationals to participate, due to the team’s regular strong performances at the international level as well the cultural and historical ties the Haudenosaunee have with the sport of lacrosse.

“While we respect the IOC’s independence, we encourage the IOC to take advantage of this historic opportunity. Permitting the Haudenosaunee to compete in lacrosse - the sport they invented - would advance the highest values of the Olympic Games and send a powerful message about respecting and valuing Indigenous cultural heritage,” said the statement.

While there has not been a public response to the statement from the IOC as of yet, a spokesperson did not give the impression that the Olympic governing body would allow the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to compete as a standalone entity.

“Only National Olympic Committees (NOCs) recognized by the IOC can enter teams for the Olympic Games in accordance with the Olympic Charter,” said the spokesperson in an email correspondence with The Eastern Door.  “This means it is up to the two NOCs concerned (USA and Canada) - in coordination with World Lacrosse and the National Federations concerned - to decide if they include athletes from Haudenosaunee in their respective teams depending on the passport they hold.”  

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy would not be the only Olympic team to compete at the Games without recognition as a country by the United Nations. A few examples include Palestine, Hong Kong, Kosovo, as well as the United States territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, which all competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

That being said, those NOCs were allowed to join prior to a rule change in 1996 that limited membership to “internationally recognized states” while grandfathering in existing NOCs.

This is not the first time that support from the United States has been given for the inclusion of the Haudenosaunee at the Olympics. Following the announcement in October 2023 that lacrosse sixes would be included as one of five new and returning sports for the 2028 Olympics, Biden expressed at the 2023 Tribal Nations Summit his support for Haudenosaunee participation.

Kirby Joe Diabo, president of the Kahnawake Minor Lacrosse Association, said that it would be natural for a Haudenosaunee Confederacy team to participate in Olympic lacrosse.

“I know there’s a process to go through, but I really think this is something that’s needed, and this is something that should be done. It’s only right that we get in. We belong to our own nation. It’s always been like that, and that’s the way it’s going to be,” said Diabo.

The Haudenosaunee Nationals, for their part, published a statement on January 17, thanking both countries for their support.

“The Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse Organization would like to express our sincere gratitude to president Joseph R. Biden and prime minister Justin Trudeau for their steadfast support of our inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” the Nationals’ release read.

Lacrosse associations from the two countries did not provide comment by The Eastern Door’s publishing deadline. 

It is currently unknown if the Trump administration will also support the inclusion of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy at the Los Angeles Olympics. The joint statement, originally published on the White House’s website, has since been deleted, along with the vast majority of the website’s contents, following the inauguration of president Donald Trump on Monday.

It will also remain to be seen if the new Liberal Party of Canada leader that will replace Justin Trudeau in the coming months will also support this initiative.

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