As Paris 2024 continues, the spotlight after the Closing Ceremony will quickly shift to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (already being tabbed as LA28) and the excitement around the official inclusion of men’s and women’s flag football on the LA28 sports programme.

To celebrate the moment, the NFL, in partnership with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and LA28, launched an epic handover spot Light It Up, featuring Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Global Flag Football Ambassador Jalen Hurts. The video, reminiscent of the iconic archer lighting the Olympic torch with a flaming arrow at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, shows Hurts igniting the L.A. Coliseum torch with a flaming football, signalling flag as an official sport at LA28.

“The Olympic handover from Paris to Los Angeles is an amazing opportunity to have our global flag ambassador Jalen Hurts kickstart the excitement around the inclusion of men’s and women’s flag football in the 2028 program,” said Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president of club business, international and league events. “As one of the fastest growing sports globally, flag football has incredible momentum, and LA28 will spotlight the sport at the highest level and on the world’s biggest stage.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in October 2023 that flag football would be included on the LA28 Olympic sports programme. Its inclusion, led by efforts of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and supported by the NFL, showcases an aspirational new pathway to elite play and the incredible development of the sport globally.

“As we celebrate the successes of Paris 2024 and the ball is thrown to LA28, we have no doubt flag football is going to light up the Games when it makes its debut in four years’ time,” said IFAF President, Pierre Trochet. “Young, fast, creative and played by outstanding athletes, including our global flag football ambassador Jalen Hurts, the format is the perfect fit for the Games of a new generation. Together with our partners the NFL, we share a commitment to driving the international development of American football forward and believe that flag’s inclusion in Los Angeles will further accelerate the extraordinary participation growth we are seeing worldwide.”

In addition to flag football’s debut at the Olympic Games in four years, the NFL and IFAF are spotlighting the football format throughout this summer. First, the world’s premiere youth flag football tournament, the NFL Flag Championships, saw 2,800 players from around the world compete in Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. Last week, the NFL also announced the 2025 Pro Bowl Games will return to Orlando, where the league’s top players will compete in on-field and off-field skills competitions and an action-packed flag football game at Camping World Stadium. Later this month, elite flag football talent representing 32 nations across five continents will converge on the biggest-ever IFAF World Flag Football Championships in Lahti, Finland.

Played by an estimated 20 million people in more than 100 countries across six continents, flag football is a short, fast, non-contact and gender-equal format. It is the most inclusive and accessible format of football, played by people of all ages and genders, with women and girls driving some of the sport’s fastest growth. To learn more about NFL Flag or find a league near you to get involved in the movement, visit www.nflflag.com.