American football at the Summer Olympics

American football was featured in the Summer Olympic Games demonstration programme in 1904 and 1932.^[1] College football was played at the 1904 Olympics, which was played at Francis Field,^[2] but was, in reality, college teams playing each other as part of their regular seasons.^[3] The sport was eventually played officially as a demonstration sport only once, in 1932.^[4] Though American football has not been played in the Olympics since then, various American football players have participated in the Olympics.^[5] The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) oversees the IFAF World Championship, which is an international tournament, which itself is held every four years.^[6]

American football at the Summer Olympics
Governing body	IFAF
Events	1 (men)
Games
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Medalists

In 2013, the International Olympic Committee gave provisional recognition to The International Federation of American Football, setting up a possible vote on its future participation in the Olympics. In 2015, American Football was not included in the 2020 additions.^[7][8]

1904 Summer Games

 

Saint Louis University's 1904 "Olympic World's Champions"

Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis initially sought to contest an Olympic football championship, but were unable to host it officially. Both teams ended up simply playing their regular seasons from teams around the country, making their status as an official demonstration sport dubious. St. Louis was declared the champion "by default." As Francis Field was the main stadium for the 1904 Summer Olympics, only those games would have been considered a demonstration for Olympic crowds. Only two games at Francis Field were played that did not involve Washington University: a match between Purdue and Missouri, and the first match between two Indian school teams (Haskell and Carlisle) who were considered powerhouses in college football at the time.^[3][9]

• Note: All games below were played at Francis Olympic Field

Date	Winning Team	Losing Team	Score
September 28, 1904	WashU	Shurtleff	10–0
October 5, 1904	WashU	Rose	16–5
October 8, 1904	Illinois	WashU	31–0
October 15, 1904	Sewanee	WashU	17–0
October 19, 1904	WashU	Drury	36–0
October 22, 1904	Indiana	WashU	21–6
October 28, 1904	Purdue	Missouri	11–0
October 29, 1904	Texas	WashU	23–0
November 5, 1904	WashU	Missouri	11–0
November 12, 1904	Kansas	WashU	12–0
November 19, 1904	West Virginia	WashU	6–5
November 24, 1904	Haskell	WashU	47–0
November 26, 1904	Carlisle	Haskell	38–4

1932 Summer Games

Main article: American football at the 1932 Summer Olympics

IOC rejection and the future

Main article: Flag football at the Summer Olympics

Though American football has not been played in the Olympics since then, various American football players have participated in the Olympics.^[5] In 2013, the International Olympic Committee gave provisional recognition to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), setting up a possible vote on its future participation in the Olympics.^[10] In 2015, American Football wasn't included in the 2020 additions with critics voicing the IFAF's lack of effort and surrounding drama around the 2015 IFAF World Championship.^[7][8]

Following the IOC's decline of the IFAF's application, the IFAF resubmitted its application, re-earning the provisional recognition for a possible addition in the 2024 Summer Olympics, with the earliest vote being as possible as 2017.^[11] It has also been argued that due to roster restrictions, seven-on-seven is the most likely style of play to make it as a medal event in the same vein as rugby sevens, which debuted at the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[12]

The NFL and IFAF backed a proposal to include flag football, a non-contact variation of the game, as an event in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.^[13] The bid was successful and flag football was officially announced as a sport for the 2028 games in October 2023.^[14]

See also

• American football at the World Games
  • American football at the 2005 World Games
• IFAF World Championship
• IFAF Women's World Championship

References

1. Bill Mallon, Jeroen Heijmans (2011). Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement. p. 127. ISBN 9780810875227.
2. . Mmbolding.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
3. The 1904 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. McFarland & Co., Inc. 2009 [1999]. pp. 204–205. ISBN 9781476621609. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
4. (PDF). Xth Olympiade Committee of the Games of Los Angeles, U.S.A. 1932. 1933. pp. 739–743. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
5. "Olympians in the NFL". NFL.com. 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
6. "Competition - Senior". IFAF. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
7. "Why Isn't American Football an Olympic Sport?". The Growth of a Game. 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
8. "IFAF applies to have American football in 2020 Summer Olympics". Sporting News. 2015-06-13. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
9. "1904 Purdue Boilermakers Schedule and Results".
10. ET, 2013 at 12:00a (2013-12-10). "Football takes step toward Olympics, could be medal sport in 2024". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2018-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. "American Football Could Be an Olympic Sport in 2024". mic.com. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
12. Volk, Pete (2014-02-16). "American football could be in 2024 Olympics". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
13. "EXCLUSIVE Olympics-NFL looks to score touchdown with Olympic flag football". Reuters. 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
14. "International Olympic Committee approves cricket and four other sports for 2028 Games in Los Angeles". Sky Sports. October 16, 2023.