Olympics
New form of football, four other sports to debut at Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Flag football is one of the new sports that will be introduced at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. That is just alone.
Like was the case with badminton which became a scoring discipline at when the US hosted the Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta, five new sports will be incorporated into the Olympic disciplines as America again hosts in 2028 in Los Angeles.
Flag football is not a discipline under FIFA, but a football variant controlled by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
Unlike the conventional football (soccer in America), instead of tackling players to the ground as in American football or rugby, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end a down.
In flag football, contact is limited between players. The sport has a strong amateur following with several national and international competitions each year sponsored by various associations but is most popularly played in America where it was invented.
The announcement of the new sports, which incidentally also implies the return of some old disciplines was made by IOC president, Thomas Bach at Sunday’s closing ceremony of Paris 2024.
Baseball/softball was at Tokyo 2020 but excluded at Paris 2024. It will return at the Los Angeles 2028 along with some
historic disciplines: cricket and lacrosse.
Cricket has not been an Olympic sport since Paris 1900 while larcrosse featured only at the 1904 and 1908 Games.
Lacrosse, originally known as ‘stickball,’ began as a cultural and spiritual practice among Indigenous North American communities. Far more than just a game, it often served as a way to resolve conflicts and prepare warriors for battle.
Bach explained that the choice is in line with American sporting culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world.
But the future of boxing at the Olympics is uncertain owing to the IOC feuds with the International Boxing Association (IBA). The matter is worsened by the gender eligibility controversy involving Algeria’s Imane Khelif at Paris 2024.
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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