Lachlan Walker never imagined he would have a chance to compete for a spot in the Olympic Games.
That's because the sport he grew up with, lacrosse, hasn't featured in the competition since 1948.
But in 2023, everything changed when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved lacrosse for the 2028 Los Angeles games.
"I'm a bit of a sports nuffy, so it's something I never really thought would happen," Walker told AAP.
"I've been to two World Championships, and then when I got into the older side of my career, I started hearing that there's an Olympic opportunity.
"Words can't really describe the opportunity that we've been given."
Walker will captain the Australian men's team at the Asia-Pacific Sixes Lacrosse Championships, beginning Monday on the Sunshine Coast.
The competition is the first step towards a historic Olympics berth as Australia will look to finish in the top five.
If they do that, they will make the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships, which serves as the primary qualifier for LA28.
The women's team will also take part in the competition, where they too must finish in the top five to punch their ticket to next year's main qualifying event.
Ahead of the championships, both sides were given an inspirational pep talk from an Olympic legend.
"We had a chat with Anna Meares the other day. She gave us a great presentation around what the Olympics are, her story, and things like that," Walker said.
"You see those people that have been there ... sometimes I still can't believe the process that we're in."
It will be a steep task for Australia's men's and women's teams to qualify for the 2028 Games, considering only 12 countries (six men, six women) will participate.
But instead of the usual 10 players per team taking the field, the IOC announced that the sport will be modified to be conducted on a six-a-side basis in LA.
Rising star of the Australian women's team Mim Suares-Jury says the faster-paced sixes format plays to her side's strengths as they claimed a bronze medal at the 2025 Sixes World Championships.
But she also says the tournament is an opportunity to show the country Australia's sparkling talent, as only about 10,000 people played the sport in this country last year.
"It is such a great step for lacrosse. For as long as I've been playing lacrosse, all I've heard about is growing the game and getting more people, more young kids competing," she told AAP.
"This is such a great opportunity for people to be exposed to the game and an opportunity for them to fall in love with it just as much as we love it."
Australia's men will play their first game on home soil since 2002 when they take on Chinese Taipei after the women face Singapore on Monday.
