Netball is a sport combining speed, agility, and skill as two teams of seven compete on a court to try and shoot a ball through the opponents’ net.
It’s a well-established sport played by mostly women, with over 20 million regular players worldwide. It is especially popular in commonwealth nations.
With origins dating back to the 19th century, this begs the question, is netball played at the Olympic games?
The answer may surprise you.
What’s in this Guide?
Is Netball an Olympic sport?
No, netball is not an Olympic sport. Netball has been part of the Commonwealth Games since 1998 but has never been an Olympic sport. However, the International Netball Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), making netball’s inclusion possible in the future.
So, why is netball not included in the Olympic programme? Are there plans for netball’s inclusion in the Olympics? Where is netball popular worldwide and how does this affect netball’s chances of being included?
Let’s see if we can address some of these questions.
Why is netball not an Olympic sport?
The main reason why netball is not a feature of the summer Olympics is because of the sport’s lack of global reach. The global netball community consists of mainly commonwealth countries at the international level. The Tokyo 2022 team rejected an application to feature for this reason.
A second reason is that female athletes mainly play netball – men’s netball is not widely popular. The International Olympic Committee looks for gender balance when including such sports on the world’s biggest stage.
Are there plans for netball to be in future Olympic Games?
There is a chance that netball fans will see netball at the Olympic Games in 2032 when Brisbane is the host city. With a proud and successful history in Australia, netball is the biggest team sport for women. The Suncorp Super Netball, a top level netball league that was founded in 2016, also features teams from Australia.
The IOC may think the sport deserves to be included if there are also signs of global growth. But again, this all depends on the International Olympic Committee and what other sports may be introduced to the Olympic Games, but the netball community is strongly pushing for its inclusion.
Where is netball popular?
World netball is undoubtedly growing in popularity. Australia, England, New Zealand, and Jamaica are established netball nations in this growing women’s sport. These countries often do well at the netball world cup. However, at the world level, millions also play netball in the United States, Taiwan, and parts of Africa.
Will the International Olympic Committee accept netball?
The next Olympic Games are in Paris in 2024, and Los Angeles in 2028, with neither France nor the United States established netball nations. Therefore, it is unlikely to be added to these summer games in the Olympic programme. However, for 2032 in Brisbane, if the growing trend continues and a men’s pathway to playing opens up, there is a high chance netball will be at the Games.
Conclusion: Is netball an Olympic sport?
No, netball is not an Olympic sport currently. However, the Australian Olympic Committee is pushing for netball’s inclusion in Brisbane 2032. With global growth in the game, there is a chance that Australian athletes could compete for a gold medal in netball in 2032.
