Lacrosse at the 1948 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 1948 demonstration was a single game matching an American team from Rensselaer Polytechnic University of Troy, New York, and an All-England lacrosse team, which was contested at the Empire Stadium in Wembley.

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). World Lacrosse was formed in 2008 as the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL), 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.