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Rourke is slated to play in the B.C. Adult Flag Football League this season to help prep for the opportunity to play in the Olympics
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Published Mar 18, 2026 • 5 minute read
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B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNGArticle content
B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke has a side hustle. He’s trying to be an Olympian.
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The 27-year-old pivot is keen on representing Canada in five-on-five football at the Los Angeles 2028 Games and is set to play in the B.C. Adult Flag Football League this season to help put him into a position to do so.
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Rourke’s on the roster of the Vancity Vice, and they open their season Sunday at Cloverdale Athletic Park, facing the Honey Badgers and then Hammertime in back-to-back games, beginning at 12:40 p.m.
The Olympics have permitted local organizers to add sports popular in their region over the past few years. L.A. 2028 brass are bringing on flag football, along with six-on-six field lacrosse. They’re also bringing back softball and baseball, which returned to the schedule after a two-Olympics absence for Tokyo 2020, but weren’t included at Paris 2024.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity. When I was a young kid and dreaming about playing professional football, I would have never thought the chance to play in the Olympics would have presented itself,” said Rourke, who was born in Victoria and raised in Oakville, Ont. “I would love to be able to do it. But flag, and especially five-on-five, is a different game with a lot of nuances to it. There are players in this country who have been playing specifically that version of football for awhile. I certainly feel like I have to learn that game to give myself a chance to be considered for the Olympic team in 2028.
“I owe it to the people who have been playing longer than I have, as well as the people who are making the roster to make sure that I’m prepared and going through the process.”
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Five-on-five flag football is played with a QB, a centre and three receivers/running backs. It’s on a smaller field — 70-yards long and 25-yards wide, with 10-yard end zones at L.A. 2028 — so it’s about quick reads and mobility for quarterbacks, and that’s a sweet spot for Rourke’s skill set.
Another plus for the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player and Outstanding Canadian is that former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice is Canada’s bench boss for L.A. 2028. B.C. head coach Buck Pierce was a Winnipeg QB under LaPolice and they later worked together with the Bombers when LaPolice returned as offensive coordinator and Pierce was quarterbacks coach.
Rourke and Pierce have been meeting virtually for several weeks to go over the Lions’ upcoming season. In the midst of that, Rourke has been sharing flag video that LaPolice has sent him and both Rourke and Pierce have honed in on how similar the offence B.C. wants to run lines up with what LaPolice is planning.
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“Buck and I have been geeking out a little bit,” Rourke said. “We’re both like, ‘This is this concept,’ and, ‘This is this concept.’ It’s been cool to watch how our offence translates to the flag team.”
The CFL announced in November 2025 that the league’s board of governors unanimously approved participation in the event. Logistics still need to be worked out, since flag football’s slated for July 15 to 22 for L.A. 2028, and that’s in the middle of the CFL season.
The NFL voted in May 2025 to do the same. It will be worth watching if the likes of Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard and Cincinnati Bengals RB Chase Brown end up in the mix.
Depending on the preparation time, the CFL could lose its players for two or three weeks. The league could opt for a hiatus. They could schedule bye weeks for the particular teams most affected. They could just continue on and have teams use second-stringers.
The International exposure for the league and particular teams would be massive of course. It’s advertising the CFL could never afford. Imagine if a team with Rourke and other CFL standouts goes to L.A. 2028 and shows well?
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“Obviously Grey Cups are what I’m going after, but in a career retrospect in 20 years to be able say that I was on an Olympic team and we won gold against the U.S. on their soil? That would be pretty special, considering the journey that I’ve had and my time in the United States,” said Rourke, referencing him bouncing between the practice rosters of four NFL teams without ever getting a legitimate crack at playing time before coming back to the Leos in 2024. “It’s led me to being a really proud Canadian based off my time in the States.
“It (Olympic success) would mean a lot to me. I never pictured it would be an option. That’s why I want to make sure I’m doing my due diligence here.”
Rourke says that the Lions’ strong finish to last season — they won seven straight games before losing 24-21 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Final — has bolstered the team and he’s been impressed by how many players opted to stay in the Lower Mainland in the off-season to train.
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The regular season for B.C. kicks off June 13 with a visit to the ‘Riders and the Lions’ home-opener is June 27 when the Calgary Stampeders come to the Apple Bowl in Kelowna to face B.C.
The Lions will be based out of Kelowna for the first few weeks of the season due to the World Cup taking over B.C. Place. The Leos’ first game at the downtown dome is July 25, when the Toronto Argonauts come to town.
“Touchdown Pacific in 2024 was a really cool experience for us,” said Rourke, pointing to a game against the Ottawa Redblacks that the Lions hosted at Victoria’s Royal Athletic Park. “We were in the community that week. Practices were well-attended. We did a fan fest downtown. The game had a college-bowl game environment.
“We’re expecting Kelowna to be similar. We’re in the community. We’re getting closer as a team. Overall, I think it’s really great that our owner (Amar Roman) has committed to playing in B.C. rather than the alternative (playing just road games). We’re excited about it.”
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