New Delhi, March 25 Lacrosse, a lesser-known sport set for an Olympic return after 100 years, received recognition from Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday as he felicitated the Indian men's and women's teams for their gold-winning performance at a recent Asian competition, and urged them to aim for qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Lacrosse is a native American team sport in which a long-handled stick with a netted head is used to catch, pass, and throw a rubber ball into the opposing goal.
It made its Olympic debut as a medal event in 1904 and appeared again four years later before becoming a demonstration discipline in 1928, 1932, and 1948. Eventually dropped from the program, the sport will return to the Games in the upcoming Los Angeles edition.
"Lacrosse is a promising sport for India. This was your first major international exposure, and you have already won medals. Now, the focus should be on working harder, gaining more exposure, and making the country proud by aiming for qualification at the LA 2028 Games," Mandaviya told the two teams.
India delivered a dominant performance at the Asian Lacrosse Games held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in February, securing gold medals in both the men's and women's events in the six-a-side format, which will also be used in Los Angeles.
The Indian men's and women's teams defeated Iraq and Pakistan respectively in their final matches.
The Indian women's Lacrosse team made its international debut in 2024, while the men's team followed suit last year, in 2025.
The two teams feature athletes from all parts of the country, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The Asian Lacrosse Games, organized under the Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Union, are part of a broader effort to develop competitive pathways in the region.
India's next major assignments include the third Asian Lacrosse Games in Chengdu, China, in April, and the Asia-Pacific Sixes Lacrosse Championships in Australia this October, which will serve as a qualification pathway for the LA 2028 Games.
Approximately 100 lacrosse teams from around the world are expected to enter the qualification pathway, from which six men's and six women's teams will earn the right to compete in the 2028 Games.
Continental championships will take place from September to December this year.
The four championships – African, Asia-Pacific, European, and Pan-American – will advance teams to the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships, featuring parallel competition for the top 16 men's and top 16 women's teams.