SINGAPORE — Despite lobbying for over 20 years, netball has failed in its attempts to be included as a sport in the Olympic Games, and New Zealand star Maria Tutaia thinks Singapore has an important part to play in the continuing effort to lobby for the sport’s inclusion in the world’s biggest multi-sport event.

In town as presenter at the Netball Singapore coaches seminar in the lead-up to the Netball Nations Cup (Dec 7-13), the two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist (2006, 2010) and World Championships silver medallist (2007), said that the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle is netball’s popularity in Asia.

“The sport of netball is so big — in New Zealand, England, Australia, and also even in Africa like in Malawi and Botswana,” said 1.88m-tall Tutaia, who is famed for being one of the world’s best long-range shooters.

“We just need one Asian country to join us in that respect now, and Singapore is on the right track. You guys have come leaps and bounds in the sport, and in terms of your development, and your recruitment — getting Ruth Aitken (former Silver Ferns coach who now coaches Singapore) and Kate Carpenter (current Fiji coach).

“I don’t know how you do it — being a small but powerful nation.”

Tutaia notes that the reasons for netball sitting out the Olympics are the lack of global popularity and insufficient funding to grow the sport worldwide, while the fact it is a female-dominated sport is also seen as a drawback. This is despite figures by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) that more than 20 million people play netball in more than 80 countries around the world.

Singapore is the first Asian nation to compete at the World Netball Championships (1967) and to host it (1983). The Republic has taken part in five editions, including the last tournament in 2011 that was hosted here. The Republic has also hosted an annual Netball Nations Cup since 2006, an event they won twice (2006, 2007).

In September, Singapore booked their place in the World Championships in Sydney next August — the event has been renamed the Netball World Cup — after winning the Asian Netball Championships held here at the Singapore Sports Hub’s OCBC Arena.

“I am aware of Singapore’s achievements of late, and I think the country is doing a good job driving the sport in Asia,” said Tutaia, who is here to catch the 2014 Nations Cup, which starts on Sunday at the OCBC Arena.

“I have no doubt an Asian nation can break through into the world stage one day. It is so rewarding to see, and nothing better than seeing talent rising in the world.”

On the matter on the suitability of the Asian physique for the sport, Tutaia said while important, height is not the be-all and end-all in succeeding in the sport.

“In New Zealand, England and Australia, we naturally breathe big. But we also have players on our team who are the same size as the Singapore players I see here, and they make up for it with speed and tenacity. So you can compensate for that very well.”

Yesterday, Tutaia conducted coaching clinics with selected netballers from schools here, followed by shooting sessions with the national open and youth team at the OCBC Arena. She will head back to New Zealand on Monday to begin pre-season training with her club, the Northern Mystics.

Tutaia has been sidelined since the Commonwealth Games after picking up a plantar fascia injury in her left foot, but has since recovered and is raring to go.

“I am already training towards the World Championships next year. New Zealand is going to win it but Australia is also playing some great netball,” she said.

“I don’t like to admit that, but they are. They won the Commonwealth Games this year for the first time in 12 years, and are also on a winning streak against us in Test games.”