The Iroquois Nationals have accepted an invitation from World Lacrosse, in cooperation with the International World Games Association (IWGA) and The World Games 2022 Birmingham Organising Committee (TWG 2022, to take part in the World Games 2022.
This comes just a few days after Ireland Lacrosse announced they would be voluntarily withdrawing their participation in the competition to free up space for the Iroquois.
In a statement released last night, World Lacrosse announced the eight men’s teams who will be taking part (Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Iroquois Nationals, Israel, Japan, United States) and their President, Sue Redfern, said:
“This is a very good day, and outcome, for the sport of lacrosse.
“We have arrived at an outcome that will create a true showcase for lacrosse at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham.
“This was achieved by our organisations coming together, listening carefully and working constructively to reach a shared goal”.
World Lacrosse Chief Executive Officer, Jim Scherr, went on to say:
“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the leadership of the International World Games Association, The World Games 2022 Birmingham Organising Committee, Ireland Lacrosse and the Iroquois Nationals for their partnership and support in working toward an outcome about which we can all be pleased.
“International sport has the power to unite and that has never been more evident than in how our organizations and the lacrosse community came together to find a solution”.
In response to the exciting news, the Iroquois Nationals tweeted: “We’ll see you all in Birmingham. Let’s do this #TogetherAsOne”.
In their statement, World Lacrosse also confirmed that the top eight eligible women’s teams based upon final placement in the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship will be invited to participate in The World Games 2022.
They confirmed the women’s team representing the Haudenosaunee Nation will be eligible for selection.
The 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship will take place July 7-17, 2021 in Towson, Maryland, USA.