The Co-Operative Group has announced it will sponsor this year’s World Netball Series in Manchester, which could help boost the sport’s chances to be included in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
The Telegraph reports the world’s top six nations – England, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Samoa and Malawi – have all been invited to take part in the world series in October.
Organizers hope the “high-profile” event will also help propel netball to be included in the 2016 Olympics.
According to the Telegraph, more than half-a-million members of the public have backed netball’s Olympic campaign, which is also supported by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Dame Kelly Holmes and Denise Lewis, former Olympic champions.
Britain’s Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell, also a supporter of the bid, has called for an end to “gender discrepancies” at the Games and urged the Olympic authorities to provide more medal opportunities for women.
