Netball is set to feature at the Olympic Games for the first time ever in Brisbane in 2032, according to reports.
The popular sport, in which Australia held onto its World No.1 ranking with a consolation win over New Zealand in the final match of the Constellation Cup last week, has previously been consigned only to the Commonwealth Games.
But according to CODE Sports, the advocacy of key Olympic figures, including Australian Olympic Committee honorary life president John Coates and former legend Liz Ellis, is set to bear fruit at the Brisbane Games.
The report claims netball’s involvement in its first Olympics is a “virtual done deal”, with a public announcement expected in the coming days.
However, it will not be officially ratified until April next year, when the IOC will meet in the Dominican Republic to make a final vote on which sports will be given Olympic status.
Netball Australia launched their Olympics bid in August last year, with a petition quickly garnering tens of thousands of signatures.
The sport has traditionally been dominated by Commonwealth countries, with the 25th-ranked UAE the highest non-Commonwealth nation in the World Rankings.
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Olympic powerhouse the USA, meanwhile, sit 40th.
Australia were upset in the semi-finals of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by Jamaica before winning their bronze medal match against England.
It was the first time the Diamonds didn’t make the final in nine appearances at the Games since the sport made its debut in 1990.
CODE Sports have also reported that netball’s inclusion is likely to come as one of between four and six sports picked by Brisbane organisers to feature at the Games.
Another is set to be lifesaving, with officials keen to show off as much of Queensland as possible.
It follows six new sports – cricket, baseball, flag football, lacrosse, squash and softball – being approved in 2023 by the IOC for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
However, those six are far from certain to be retained for Brisbane, with CODE claiming several other sports, including race walking, canoe slalom, skateboarding and modern pentathlon – are at risk of being cut.
Of the six, cricket is the likeliest to be retained, in part due to a guaranteed significant television audience from India; but whether Brisbane organisers need to ensure its inclusion will depend on whether the IOC votes to retain it first.
The NFL, meanwhile, are keen backers to see flag football retained, with commissioner Roger Goodell going as far as to suggest future NFL matches could be held in Brisbane as well as at the MCG, where a deal with the Victorian government is in place to play regular season games, should they receive an Olympics flag football nod.
A final decision on which sports will not feature is set to be made in mid-December.
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