Lacrosse at the 1932 Summer Olympics

Lacrosse has been a demonstration sport at the Olympics three times – in 1928, 1932, and 1948, and it was contested as an Olympic sport in 1904 and 1908. The 1932 event was a series of three games played between an American team, represented by the Johns Hopkins University lacrosse team, and a Canadian all-star team. The three matches were held on the infield of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Lacrosse started in Canada as an indigenous sport played by the First Nations’ people, and its original name was baggataway. As of 2024, lacrosse has become quite popular, especially in the United States and Canada, and is represented by the World Lacrosse (WL), formerly known as the Federation of International Lacrosse until 2019. World Lacrosse was formed in 2008 by merging the International Lacrosse Federation and the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA). WL is the only international sport organization to recognize a First Nations/Native American tribe at the national level – the Iroquois Nationals, who represent the Iroquois Confederacy, that spans New York, Ontario, Québec, and Pennsylvania. WL became a member of SportAccord in 2012.

After many years, lacrosse will be featured at the Olympics again with a full-medal status, as it is scheduled to appear at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.