The GAISF General Assembly – set to take place in November, both in Lausanne and online – will now vote on whether or not to grant FITEQ full membership.

FITEQ currently has observer status, which it obtained in January.

Becoming a full GAISF member is a key step for any sport hoping to make the Olympic programme, which is a long-term ambition for teqball.

FITEQ recently became a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code, clearing another hurdle to GAISF membership.

All GAISF members must be Code-compliant.

Other criteria includes recognising the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, having member federations from at least 40 countries on at least three continents for summer sports, being a non-profit organisation and having a chart detailing gender balance within the organisation.

GAISF vice-president Stephan Fox praised FITEQ recently, saying that "FITEQ and the whole teqball family is doing fantastic work".

Fox also cautioned that the "GAISF membership criteria is very high" – and highlighted that the International Federation of Muaythai Associations, of which he is secretary general, had to wait eight years between applying for full membership and finally getting it – but the endorsement of the GAISF Council is a significant boost to FITEQ's application.

Teqball was first played in 2014, with FITEQ established in 2017.

It is set to be a medal sport at the Sanya 2020 Asian Beach Games – postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus crisis.