American Football

American football was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Olympics. It is not a recognized sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and it will not become a part of the Olympic Programme at any time in the near future. One reason for that is that the IOC is committed to gender equity at the Olympics, and there are few women’s leagues or teams in American football, and almost none outside of the United States. Another factor against American football is how to fit in a tournament within the 2-week Olympic Programme.

In August 2022, the Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee shortlisted nine proposed sports for consideration as optional events for those Olympics, with one of those sports being flag football, a variant of American tackle football. At the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India, the IOC approved flag football as an optional sport for the 2028 Olympics, along with four other sports.

Internationally, American football and flag football are governed by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). IFAF became provisionally recognized by the IOC in 2013 and was granted Recognized Status at the 141st IOC Session. As of 2024, the IFAF has 75 member federations.