Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]:At the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session that is underway in Mumbai, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) was granted full recognition, following the proposal made by the IOC Executive Board (EB) in March 2023.
According to an IOC release, IFAF is the international governing body for the sport of American football, including flag football, which is one of the five additional sports for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee and submitted to the IOC Session by the IOC EB.
The IOC Session is expected to review the decision on these additional sports on 16 October.
Officially formed in 1998, IFAF is responsible for all regulatory, competition, performance and development aspects of American football on a global level.
At present, IFAF can count on 74 affiliated National Federations, with an estimated number of almost 5.04 million registered athletes.
IFAF currently holds World Championships on a quadrennial basis; and flag football was on the sports programme of the World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.