New to the Olympics: 5 facts you need to know about flag football

As expected, the International Olympic Committee has approved the inclusion of five sports in the program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. According to the IOC’s decision at the session in Mumbai in India, Olympic medals will also be fought for in cricket, baseball/softball, lacrosse, flag football and squash in California in five years.

What is flag football about? We have collected 5 facts about the sport:

1. The rules

Flag football (or “flag” for short) is a variant of American football. That’s why the rules are almost the same. An important difference: physical contact is not allowed. That’s why women and men can form a team together and play without protective clothing. (Source: Blog “Flag Football Coaching”)

2. Goal of the game

There are 5 players per team on the field during the game. As in American football, the egg-shaped ball must be carried into the opponent’s end zone. To do this you either use runs or passes. The attacking team has a certain number of attempts to carry the ball into the opposing end zone. If the offense is successful, it scores a touchdown and is credited with 6 points. There are a maximum of 8 attempts – 4 attempts to the halfway line and then 4 attempts to the end zone.

3. The name

The name flag football comes from the flags on the belt. If these are torn off by the opponent, the game is stopped at that point.

4. The story

As the United States prepared for World War II, a way needed to be created for soldiers to release excess energy. Since there is a high risk of injury in traditional American football, flag football was developed as an alternative to avoid injuries.

5. Austrian successes

Austria is one of the most successful nations in the world when it comes to flag football. Austria’s men’s team became vice-European champions in 2023, and at the World Games they finished fourth for both men and women – as the second-best European team in each case. In this country, flag football is played in four leagues for adults and four age groups for youth. The news of the premiere of flag football sent the local association into raptures on Monday. “This is a historic moment for our sport and our athletes. Of course, the goal is for our women’s and men’s national teams to qualify for participation in Los Angeles 2028,” said AFBÖ President Michael Eschlböck.

• AFBO: You can find out more about flag football in Austria here.