Carving out certain spots for the athletes on U.S. and Canadian teams would create logistical problems of its own in the selection process. It wasn't the goal of Haudenosaunee leaders when they pushed for lacrosse to come back to the Olympics.
"The ultimate goal is for the Haudenosaunee to win a gold medal," Nolan said. "It's a delicate situation because there are so many moving parts to this whole thing."
Porter has been playing since she was "as tall as the goal posts" around six or seven years old.
"We actually have a chance to be Olympians now," she said, adding there's still a lot of work she and her teammates would need to do to compete at that level.
3rd in men's world rankings
"We're going to be there on the forefront to help with the men, to provide that good medicine to the world and I really feel like we're going to remind everyone what it is to play a sport."
But, he said, if the goal at the Olympics is to showcase the best in every sport, the Haudenosaunee should have a place in the games. The current world rankings have the Haudenosaunee men in third, behind the U.S. and Canada.
Qualtrough said that having the Haudenosaunee Nationals play their sport at the 2028 Games is in keeping with the Olympic spirit.
"This would elevate the already immense talent on display, and harness the very best of sport to advance reconciliation," reads her statement.
Haudenosaunee players could, theoretically, play for Canada or the United States depending on which country they reside in. However, most Haudenosaunee players maintain that they would only play for an Indigenous team.
The modern Haudenosaunee Nationals were formed in 1983, playing for the first time in the 1990 men's field world championship. Players are from both sides of the Canadian-American border, with the majority coming from Six Nations of the Grand River, or Onondaga Nation, outside Syracuse, N.Y.
Working with World Lacrosse, the sport's international federation, organizers for the Los Angeles Olympics leaned heavily into the Indigenous history of the sport to sell the IOC on bringing lacrosse back to the games as a medal event for the first time since 1908.
In around the year 1100, First Nation communities in northeastern North America invented the first version of lacrosse, playing games that could involve more than 100 men on a side. The sport was viewed to prepare for wars, but also as a religious experience and even as a tool used to settle disputes.
"We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the International Olympic Committee, LA28, and the U.S. and Canadian Olympic Committees to explore potential pathways for the Haudenosaunee to participate in the Olympics while respecting the Olympic Games framework," World Lacrosse said in a statement Wednesday.
It also released a statement from Haudenosaunee player Fawn Porter, who said the government's support "will help build additional momentum as we continue our journey as Haudenosaunee people with a desire to bring the medicine of lacrosse to the world."
David Shoemaker, CEO and secretary-general of the Canadian Olympic Committee, said Wednesday that his organization is "thrilled" to see lacrosse back on the Olympic program. The COC believes the inclusion of lacrosse is an opportunity to further embrace the Truth and Reconciliation Committee's Calls to Action.
"The COC looks forward to speaking with the Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse Organization to understand how we can support their objectives around participation and leveraging the positive impact of bringing the sport to a global audience at LA28," said Shoemaker.
"We are committed to being a collaborative partner with all parties, including the Haudenosaunee, Lacrosse Canada, IOC, World Lacrosse, USOPC and LA28 in maximizing the opportunities presented by lacrosse being on the Olympic program once again."
