It's less than 48 hours since Brisbane and the state of Queensland won the right to bring the Olympic Games back to Australia, but the international rugby league federation have wasted no time opening discussions.
They want the sport to be included on the program for 2032, with Nines at the Olympics, and the wheelchair version of the sport in the Paralympics.
According to an NRL.com report, discussions have been underway for some time to get the sport to the Games.
Rugby League has been played as a demonstration sport previously at the Commonwealth Games, but it's thought the Nines format gives it a genuine advantage and opportunity to be included at the 2032 Games in a country where the sport is popular.
While 2024 and 2028 will see the Olympics hosted by Paris and Los Angeles respectively, ruling rugby league out as a relevant option, the IRLF have already been awarded observer status of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and are working on obtaining full membership to ensure it qualifies.
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics, getting underway this evening, have already seen the inclusion of sports popular in Japan, with baseball and softball returning to the games for the first time in over a decade, while others like sports climbing are making their debut.
It's understood the International Olympic Committee are keen on sports with smaller squad sizes, making rugby league nines an appealing prospect. IRL chairman Tony Grant said meetings are already underway, and they are targeting the 2032 Olympics.
“We are really excited about Brisbane being awarded the 2032 Games and we will be doing all we can to be included, either as a demonstration sport or, potentially, as an allocated sport.
“Rugby League Nines and Wheelchair will be our target. They are both favourably looked upon by the IOC, given that they are smaller squad sizes for team events.
“We are already in the advanced stages of making sure that we qualify by getting GAISF [Global Association of International Sports Federations] membership."
Rugby League Nines had its first World Cup during 2019 before the COVID pandemic, with the plan of turning it into a bi-annual event.
That is yet to materialise, but with 16 teams at that World Cup, and rugby league expanding all the time around the globe, the Olympics may be a realistic prospect.
Some cold water has been poured on the international game in the last 24 hours though, with both Australia and New Zealand officially withdrawing from the 2021 13-man World Cup in England due to concerns around COVID and player safety.
