The approval of the Argentina Lacrosse Association (ALA) expands the number of full FIL members to 34.

A further 24 nations are part of the organisation but are not classed as full members.

Argentina's new status gives them voting privileges, committee membership opportunities and "championship bracket eligibility".

They joins Bermuda, Canada, the Iroquois and the United States as full members from the Americas.

"We’re ecstatic to have Argentina as a full member," Tom Hayes, the FIL's director of the Olympic Vision Committee, said.

"Argentina has set the model of how you advance the sport of lacrosse from inception to building into an organisation and growing into an associate member to full membership."

The ALA has over 200 men playing in 10 local clubs that compete in Buenos Aires, Chubut, Mendoza, Rio Negro and Misiones.

The country has competed in the Manchester 2010 and Denver 2014 FIL Men’s Lacrosse World Championship, finishing 28th and 36th respectively. 

Argentina also participated in the first Copa América de Lacrosse in Mexico City in July 2015 along with Chile, Colombia and host Mexico, losing in the semi-finals.

The ALA is now working on developing women’s teams and programmes in schools to get Argentina's youth interested in the sport.

"Full membership is the culmination of years of lacrosse development work in our country and in South and Central America," Mariano Flores Leyes, the general manager of the ALA, added.

"I see nothing but good things coming ahead.

"Being accepted is a significant confidence boost from the FIL and puts us in a great position to keep on working together."