[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H5595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PASSPORTS FOR THE IROQUOIS LACROSSE TEAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Maffei) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MAFFEI. Madam Speaker, I rise to give the House an update on the 
situation concerning the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team trying to 
travel to the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship in Great Britain.
  Madam Speaker, I rose this morning to talk about how this team is 
trying to travel to this. They are traveling on their own passports as 
an indigenous people, and they were not allowed to board the plane 
multiple times.
  Since I last reported to the House, the State Department, because of 
the direct intervention of the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has 
become involved; and they have issued an assurance to the British 
Government that indeed this team, who have already subjected themselves 
to all the security considerations, including a full bio-scan, 
fingerprints and other background checks, that this team would be 
allowed back in the United States and was, indeed, a legitimate team.
  However, Madam Speaker, the British have not yet decided whether or 
not to let the team into this international competition.
  Madam Speaker, the 2010 World Lacrosse Championships are being hosted 
in Great Britain. This team, the Iroquois Nationals, that represent the 
six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or as they call it, the 
Hodnashone People, this team was invited, not to compete for the United 
States or Canada or any other country other than the Iroquois Country. 
They were invited because of their own national identity. And so it 
seems particularly odd and contradictory that the British Government 
would require them to have passports of a country that they don't feel 
that they're representing.
  Now, we do have many examples of times in our history when we've had 
people who've stood up to principle and have not been able to compete. 
In 1924, a Scottish Olympic star named Eric Liddell did not want to 
compete on the Sabbath. He was told that he would not be able to 
participate in the 1924 Olympics because of that.
  In the movie ``Chariots of Fire,'' which was an Academy Award-winning 
movie in 1981, this was chronicled; and he was called in that movie a 
true man of principle, a true athlete. His speed is a mere extension of 
his life, it's force; and we sought to sever his running from himself.
  Madam Speaker, if the British, or any national entity, seek to sever 
this Iroquois National team from their own national identity, then they 
are asking them to not be the athletes that they are.
  I urge the British Government to do everything in their power to make 
sure that once safety considerations are considered, that this team be 
allowed to go to travel to Great Britain and to be allowed to compete. 
These Iroquois, or Hodnashone, were the inventors of the game of 
lacrosse. It would be an international embarrassment if they're not 
allowed to compete. And they have been allowed to compete in other 
countries such as Australia and Japan.
  We cannot lose the forest for the trees. We cannot look at some 
bureaucratic excuse, particularly for the country that's allegedly 
hosting the Olympics in 2012 in London. If they're going to host an 
international game, they have to be ready to welcome an international 
team.

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