Report: Flag Football to Be Voted on as Official Sport for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Flag football will be among the new sports under consideration by the International Olympic Committee when the organization weighs the athletic slate for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The Associated Press' Eddie Pells reported Monday the L.A. organizing committee submitted a formal proposal to the IOC ahead of its annual session. Baseball, softball, lacrosse, squash and cricket are among the other sports that will be studied for inclusion.

Pells noted the IOC caps its number of overall participants to 10,500 athletes, so adding any new sports might require scaling back in other disciplines.

The NFL will have a vested interest in the final outcome.

CNBC's Jabari Young spoke with NFL International chief operating officer Damani Leech in April 2022, and Leech explained flag football fits within the league's long-term vision to widen its footprint abroad.

"If flag football becomes an Olympic sport, more countries will invest in playing that sport," Leech said.

Flag football got a test run at the 2022 World Games. The United States beat Italy in the men's final, with Mexico taking down the U.S. to claim gold in the women's tournament.

Flag football's push to gain full Olympic status got a boost in March when the IOC said it planned to consider granting full recognition to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), which oversees the sport internationally.