The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially announced the inclusion of four sports featured at The World Games (TWG) 2025 Chengdu—Baseball - Softball, American Football (Flag Football), Lacrosse (Sixes) and Squash—as additional sports in the programme for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28). This decision was made during the 141st Session of the IOC in October 2023.

 

Baseball - Softball and Lacrosse will return to the Olympic Games, while Flag Football and Squash are set to make their debuts at LA28. Below is a closer look at each of these four TWG sports.

 

Photo by Beijing Association for the Promotion of Olympics Culture

 

 

Baseball - Softball

 

 

 

Baseball and Softball, which are two of the 12 founding sports of the International World Games Association (IWGA) in 1980, will see a return to the Olympic stage. Softball, a variation of Baseball with a bigger ball and smaller field, involves underhand pitching and focuses on scoring by hitting and running the bases. Softball was part of the TWG sports programme in the first two editions, held in Santa Clara in 1981 and London in 1985, while Baseball was played in 1981. Softball was also an invitational sport in 2009 and 2013.

 

 

Lacrosse (Sixes)

 

 

 

Lacrosse is a fast-paced team sport played with a long-handled, netted stick and a solid, smooth ball. Teams aim to score by shooting the ball into the opponent’s goal. Lacrosse made its debut at TWG 2017 in Wrocław, Poland, and was featured again at TWG 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. Lacrosse, especially Women’s Lacrosse, is immensely popular in the USA. The discipline to be competed at LA28 is Sixes, played on a 70m x 36m pitch with goals placed 10m in from the end-lines.

 

 

Squash

 

 

 

Squash is a racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled glass show court using a small rubber ball. Players take turns hitting the ball onto the playable surfaces of the walls. Although similar to Racquetball, Squash is distinguished by differences in racket size, ball, court dimensions and rules. The sport’s inclusion in LA28 marks its historic debut at the Olympics.

 

 

American Football (Flag Football)

 

 

 

 

Flag Football, a non-contact version of American Football, originates from the NFL and is played by pulling a flag from the ball carrier’s waist to stop play. In 1998, the International Federation of American Football was officially formed, and in 2014, it became a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federation. This sport will make its first Olympic appearance in Los Angeles.

 

The inclusion of these sports in LA28 not only highlights their rising global appeal but also strengthens the connection between TWG and the Olympic Games.

 

Edited by Wang Yunlong