Netball is not among the seven sports currently being considered for a spot in the 2016 Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but is set to launch a bid for 2020.

 

But Rhone admitted that it is not going to be easy.

 

The Jamaican said: "There is absolutely no prospect for [getting netball into the Olympics for] 2012 or 2016 and I cannot even say we'll be there in 2020 either.

 

"Although we really have high hopes and we know how great a sport netball is, we do have some work to do."

 

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown is among a number of high-profile figures who are pushing to have the sport - which is played by over 20 million women and men worldwide - included at the Olympics.

 

But Rhone said that it is complicated procedure to gain Olympic status and entails far more than just public support.

 

She said: "It's quite a long process and I think people need to understand it's not as easy as some think.

 

"We've been having meetings with the sports department of the International Olympic Committee and while we're all very pleased with how netball is progressing, getting into the Olympics is not an easy task."

 

Despite being played in over 70 countries across the globe, netball is still considered a game played principally among Commonwealth countries.

 

But this is a misconception which must be changed if the organisation is to successfully lobby the IOC, Rhone admitted.

She said: "From the reviews I've had with them [IOC] I think we need to expand a bit more outside of the Commonwealth.

"We have made some inroads into Argentina; we have heard recently that Costa Rica and Cuba are interested and we just had Switzerland coming on board to apply for membership."

The Jamaican administrator is also working to get the sport played at major regional multi-sport games - such as the All-Africa and All-Asia Games - across the world.