The international body of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is seeking recognition of the Gaelic Games by the International Olympic Committee with the clear intention of increasing its international profile. 

The international governing body of the GAA is seeking recognition from the International Olympic Committee to extend its 'global reach' as the ultimate goal in a long term plan. 

World GAA announced the plans at the launch of an initial strategic plan for overseas games this week. "The Gaelic Games will seek recognition in 60 international sports federations to achieve AIMS (Alliance of Independent Recognised Sports Members) recognition, followed by International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition," the organisation said.

World GAA, the international governing body of the game, is hoping to see Gaelic football, hurling and camogie included as Olympic sports at future Games. This follows the launch of the first strategic plan for overseas games at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry, where the GAA's annual congress took place on Friday and Saturday.

The aim is to extend the "global reach and impact" of the GAA. The pillars of the strategy focus on coaching and playing, health and well-being, official education and outreach, and recognition by local sporting bodies. The plan states that the ultimate goal is IOC recognition.

Recognising that it will not be easy or quick, they added: "Ultimately, the aim should be to work towards Olympic recognition and reassess future plans based on the results achieved. The GAA has over 2,200 clubs across the island of Ireland. According to former President O'Neill, there are 475 clubs worldwide playing hurling, camogie and Gaelic football. There are active clubs on every continent with over 23,000 Gaelic players internationally, spread across 84 teams in all clubs.

The Congress also served as a fitting farewell to the presidency of Larry McCarthy, a long-time administrator in the New York GAA. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the first foreign representative to hold the highest office in the game said: "The GAA is undoubtedly the largest community-based, intergenerational, volunteer-led organisation in the world.

"Once Olympic recognition is achieved, the GAA will be able to reassess its goals and aspirations accordingly. It is important to recognise that this process is likely to take time and success is not guaranteed," the Congress concluded. 

"However, it is vital that the GAA takes the first steps in this direction. Recognition for team sports may be more complex, but by following established criteria and exploring possible adaptations, the GAA can improve its chances of Olympic recognition," it added.

"The World GAA Strategic Plan is a visionary document. It is a roadmap to strengthen our existing international roots and to encourage World GAA to boldly seek out new territories where our great games of hurling, football and camogie and our "Where Everyone Belongs" ethos can make an inspiring impact.

Gaelic Games: A brief history

The Gaelic Games were founded in 1884 following a meeting in Thurles, County Tipperary, led by Michael Cusack, with the aim of preserving and promoting Ireland's national pastime. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was born. 

Today the organisation promotes traditional Irish sports including Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, handball and rounders and has over 500,000 members worldwide. The GAA is based in Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland's largest sports stadium with a capacity of 82,300.

Gaelic football, commonly known in Ireland as Gaelic, GAA or football, is an outdoor sport played by two teams of 15 players each. It is very popular throughout the island and is played by school, club and county teams of all ages.

Each year the counties compete for the Sam Maguire Cup and the All-Ireland title. There is also women's Gaelic football, organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. The rules are virtually the same for both men and women, with speed, strength and teamwork the keys to success in this adrenaline-filled game. 

Hurling is another popular indigenous sport that shares many of the same rules and standards as Gaelic football, such as the pitch, teams, number of players, goals and scoring system (one point for a kick over the crossbar, three points for a goal). It differs from football in that it is a stick and ball game in which players use a wooden stick called a hurley to hit a small ball called a sliotar.

The annual All-Ireland championship pits the counties against each other in the quest for the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The women's version of the game is called camogie and is organised by the Camogie Association. The name comes from the Irish word "camóg", which refers to the stick used in the game.

Both hurling and camogie are on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Other indigenous sports in Ireland include handball or Irish ball and rounders. Handball is a ball and wall game that has many variations around the world. In Ireland there are four codes: One-Wall, Four-Wall, Softball and Hardball.

It is played in singles or doubles and involves hitting a small ball against a wall. The earliest written reference to a game similar to handball in Ireland dates from the early 16th century, but archaeological evidence suggests that an ancient version of the game dates back to Celtic times.

Meanwhile, rounders is a ball and bat game played between two teams on a field in which a small, hard ball is hit with a bat to advance around bases and score points. 

According to historical records, early settlers brought it to North America, where it later evolved into the current format of baseball.