The World Lacrosse Development Committee recommended that Costa Rica's membership be upgraded, and the Board of Directors unanimously approved the motion.

It means that Costa Rica can have a voting delegate at the Word Lacrosse General Assembly, and its national teams are eligible to win World Championships.

Walter Rojas, President of the Costa Rica Lacrosse Sporting Federation, said the development "represents a great leap to lacrosse in Costa Rica and is a recognition of the very hard work of our administrative team and players alike."

Sending a team to the 2019 Men's Indoor World Championship in British Columbia, increasing participation in women's lacrosse and boosting participation among school-age athletes have been cited as significant achievements of the Costa Rica Lacrosse Sporting Federation in recent times.

"As Costa Ricans, we believe that we can contribute to the lacrosse global picture by sharing our experience and values with the rest of the world," Rojas added.

Puerto Rico, Uganda, Hungary and Croatia have all become full World Lacrosse members in the past 12 months.

World Lacrosse boasts 68 member nations, 18 of which are in the Americas.

"The leadership in Costa Rica has worked tirelessly over the past year to continue the growth of the sport and their organisation," said Bob DeMarco, a World Lacrosse Board member and the body's development director. 

"World Lacrosse is very pleased with the commitment they have made to attracting new participants and the start of a domestic 6v6 league."