Mexico's quarterback Flores champions flag football ahead of LA Olympics

Jan 21 : Diana Flores started playing flag football on dusty fields where women were not even allowed on the main pitch. 

Two decades later, the Mexican quarterback has led her country to back-to-back World Games gold medals and is on a mission to prove her sport deserves recognition as more than just American football's recreational cousin.

The 28-year-old has been part of the Mexican national team for 12 years, leading them to victories against the U.S. in the 2022 and 2025 World Games. Those triumphs have brought flag football into the spotlight - and now it will debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028

"This is a professional sport that is not only now an Olympic sport for LA 28, but also it's opening opportunities for the athletes out there to earn a scholarship, to go to college in the United States or here in Mexico," Flores told Reuters on Wednesday.

However, as the sport gains prominence, Flores is battling misconceptions that flag football is simply a watered-down version of American football or a backup option for athletes who could not make it in the NFL.

"They are two different sports," Flores said. 

Flag football's main difference is that it is non-contact. The team advance up the pitch via a series of offensive plays with "tackles" made by removing one of the two fabric flags attached to the ball carrier's waist.

"Flag football is more creative. It's about speed, it's about agility, it's inclusive. So it has its own characteristics that have to be approached in its own way," she added.

That is the main message of her book "Flag Football for Dummies," which explains the sport from rules to strategies. "I really wanted to give people the tools to actually form themselves as flag football athletes and everything