Table of Contents
It requires fewer participants
Depending on the format used (we’re guessing either 5v5 or 7v7), flag football requires far fewer participants than traditional tackle football. Part of that is because it’s an le
physically demanding sport and the need for fewer substitutions, and another part is due to the fact that less specialized players such as kickers, punters, special teams, offensive lineman, etc. Soccer would probably need 15 players at most, reducing that number to less than a third would. This is important as the Olympic Games limit their total attendance to 10,500 athletes and coaches. It also allows more countries to compete again, especially poorer countries where using a smaller and less financially demanding team makes more sense combined with the above reasons.
It’s not just a men’s sport
Gender equality is a key focus of the IOC. The 2012 Summer Olympics marked the first time all sports included competing women in their category. Today, any new added to the Olympics must include both male and female competitors. For tackle football, there just isn’t nearly enough interest from female participants to make sense. While there are some female players and even some female players playing soccer leagues and organizations, it just doesn’t fit the mold, especially with the other issues of physicality and barriers to entry. As described above, this is not a problem for flag football, as female participation is booming internationally.
So how do we take the next steps to bring the momentum
of flag football right into the next available Olympic Games? The IFAF has already helped bring American football before the IOC in recent years, but with its public woes and seemingly no movement since 2014, more needs to be done to move forward. What we do know is that for the first time in history, flag football is being taken seriously at all levels, with major organizations taking strides to get more into the flag football space and creating bigger and more international events to support the to promote sports. We believe that in the next 10 to 20 years flag football will participate in some way in the Olympics.
The one who bears the overall responsibility can never do everything right or wrong. Indeed, we need to get away from always looking at the heads we want to hold accountable. We all bear responsibility and need more of a sense of togetherness. As chairman, I can provide a framework, but I cannot and will never interfere in day-to-day business. That’s what the experts in the main office are for. The chairperson can ask and dig deeper, but should not interfere
. His body is the Executive Committee, which he has to
convince when the course is set and new paths are taken. We’ve done that for the past few years, but I know you can never please everyone. I have always pursued the goal of doing what I believe is the best for the German Rowing Association. Whether it was always for the best is debatable. There is also a lot of heart and soul involved and when I look back, I don’t regret a day when I was active for the rowing association – it was an honor for me. I couldn’t have imagined that when I started rowing at the age of nine. At that time, the association’s regatta committee, to which my father belonged, still met in our apartment.
