Sevens granted Olympic status
9 Oct 2009
An overwhelming vote in favour of rugby sevens has seen the sport admitted to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The International Olympic Committee announced the admission of rugby sevens and golf on Friday. Golf returns after 112 years, while rugby was last played at the Olympics in 1924 in its 15-a-side form.
IOC Members voted 63-27 for golf, and 81-8 in favour of rugby. IRB president Bernard Lapasset said this was an important moment in rugby’s history.
‘The Olympic Games will be the pinnacle of the sport for all our athletes and the rugby family. The best men’s and women’s players in the world are excited to be able to showcase their talent on the world’s greatest sporting stage.
‘We are now looking forward to working in partnership with the IOC to develop and implement a rugby sevens tournament in Rio that will reach out to new audiences and inspire a new generation of sports fans around the world,’ said Lapasset.
Paul Treu, whose Springbok Sevens outfit captured the series title earlier this year, said this decision will change the face of the code forever.
‘I have been waiting for this for a long time and have got plenty of plans, some that I have already started on. Obviously we’ll need buy-in from the national sports departments but I’m confident of that.
‘Governments are now going to be pumping in so much money into the sport in order to get gold, so you are going to get that many more countries starting to play sevens.
‘In fact I was talking to one of the US Sevens management guys just yesterday and he was a bit disillusioned about lack of funds and plans etc, and I told him to just wait until the announcement, things will take off then.’
Treu added that he expects the USA to become a bigger force in the build up to rugby’s Olympic return in 2016.
‘The US has a vast pool of talent. There are NFL guys out there who just can’t make the cut, but they run close to sub 10-seconds for the 100 metres. Imagine [the possibilities] once you harness that talent.’
161 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All
9 Oct 2009, 14:14 pm
Great News for Rugby Dragons all over the World.
And for Golf too. The greatest of all Games.
9 Oct 2009, 14:17 pm
Golf, what a crock of ****. The least amateur sport ever, it’ll be ridiculous like soccer and tennis. Stoked the 7s made it, those guys need some credit.
9 Oct 2009, 14:18 pm
The reigning Olympic rugby champions? USA…
9 Oct 2009, 14:25 pm
Great news. They obviously new that we would send it our heavy artillery aka Percy, the fighter to sort them out if they said no.
9 Oct 2009, 14:26 pm
new = knew
like in I knew, but I forgot
9 Oct 2009, 14:33 pm
#2 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR):
Golf….. next to Basketball, Tennis, Ping Pong, Athletics, Soccer and Gymnastics, the most truly International Sport in existence.
One that can be played by Amateurs and Pros.
One, that can be played on a Handicap System, that (could) make a true contest between Cane and Tiger, or Ratal and The Shark a reality.
A Sport that is competitive to many from ages 16 to 69.
9 Oct 2009, 14:37 pm
Great news,
Pity though that the 15-man format cannot be squeezed into a 2-week tournament. Sevens is too much a toss of the coin sometimes.
9 Oct 2009, 14:42 pm
Thankfully the Boks will have to pick the country’s best players and not Super Rugby rejects from the Vodacom Cup.
9 Oct 2009, 14:44 pm
We must start to breed a team of speedsters now! Young, injury-free okes
9 Oct 2009, 14:48 pm
#6 cane: Etiquette is needed to play the game ……. therefore, thankfully we won’t see ratel anywhere near the fairways !!!
9 Oct 2009, 14:51 pm
The eagles currently 36/6 against NSW, need another 109…..look like rank amatuers with the bat !!
9 Oct 2009, 14:53 pm
#8 Simon:
Sevens suggestions
Paul Treu should be allowed to select the best-possible SA side for the Sevens World Cup in Dubai.
Treu’s current group of players has won two IRB tournaments in a row and axing some of them for the game’s showpiece event would be harsh. But professional sport is all about winning, and if South Africa want to become Sevens world champions in March they must give themselves the best possible chance of doing so.
Imagine how much interest would be generated in South Africa if Treu called up Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen, Pierre Spies and Ryan Kankowski for the Sevens World Cup. Sure, they would miss a couple rounds of the Super 14, but isn’t a major international competition supposed to take precedence?
As some of you on this site know, I have always had a love-hate relationship with Sevens. I love the fact that the game, like T20 cricket, provides fans with plenty of action in a short space of time and allows minnow rugby nations, like Kenya and Portugal, to be a lot more competitive than they are in the 15-man arena.
However, I hate the fact that the best players do not take part. In South Africa, only those who aren’t good enough to play Super 14 rugby (with the exception of the talented Robert Ebersohn) are picked for the Sevens side. And while these guys tell everyone how much they love Sevens, it’s obvious they’d rather be playing 15-man rugby. Hell, even Fabian Juries, our greatest-ever Sevens player, turned his back on the abbreviated game this season when the Cheetahs included him in their Super 14 training squad. So much for him being a Sevens specialist.
The reality of the situation is that the SA Sevens team consists of Vodacom Cup-standard players, and because of this, I think they devalue the Bok jersey. Let’s be honest, do the likes of Mzwandile Stick and Marius Schoeman really deserve to wear the green and gold? My answer is a resounding no. I think the SA Sevens side should play in a different jersey, perhaps with gold being the dominant colour, and be called the Proteas. This would give the team its own unique identity and prevent the Bok jersey from being cheapened.
Take the Australian cricket team, for example. Would the famous baggy green cap be as special if their T20 players were also allowed to wear them? Of course not. Only those who are picked for Tests — the pinnacle of the game — have that honour.
Finally, I think SA Rugby should be doing everything in its power to get Sevens rugby televised on the SABC. Our Sevens team is full of black players, and black South Africans — many of whom do not have access to SuperSport — should be able to watch them throughout the year. Sevens is also a great way to introduce people to the sport, and they’d soon become fans of the 15-man version too. Hopefully, SuperSport would consider the bigger picture and share their TV rights with the national broadcaster — starting with the Sevens World Cup.
By Simon Borchardt
This entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 8:01 am and is filed under Sevens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
9 Oct 2009, 14:56 pm
#8 Simon: what are you on about?
didnt our sevens boks win the series this year?
i dont see the all blacks playing their 15 man stars in the tournament simon.
9 Oct 2009, 14:58 pm
The 7′s World Cup is now being abolished to make Olympics the pinnacle of 7′s. Of course my neighbours and work colleagues like to remind me Boks are only world 7 series champs, but Wales are world champions and by the look of it will be last ever world champions.
9 Oct 2009, 15:01 pm
#14 gecko: I take it Wales, Scot and England wil compete as the UK?
9 Oct 2009, 15:02 pm
Great news!
Chuffed about this
#14 gecko: Agreed..
9 Oct 2009, 15:03 pm
#15 Beertjie: They should… Should be a decent oufit. Not many Scots or Welsh will make it though…
9 Oct 2009, 15:03 pm
#14 gecko: and well done to wales!
remind your neighbours and work collegues who hold the 15 man wc, the 3n and the s14 and then say “wales are an amazing rugby country though” with a smile.
you will be insufferably magnanimous and unplayably sporting all at once.
9 Oct 2009, 15:07 pm
Ranger, off course can’t compete in TN or S14. But the Welsh love their Lions tours. I’ll live of the last one for the next 12 years.
9 Oct 2009, 15:09 pm
Yes it will be British team. Ireland players from Northern Ireland can choose between Britain or Ireland for games 7′s.
9 Oct 2009, 15:10 pm
Prediction: Olympic gold is so valuable that the US and China will be ranked in the top 4 Sevens teams come 2016.
9 Oct 2009, 15:10 pm
#19 gecko: the welsh are wonderful people in my experience.
i had to console a few after the test in durbs
9 Oct 2009, 15:11 pm
#20 gecko: Why wouldnt they choose Ireland
9 Oct 2009, 15:13 pm
#12 Pearl Rose: What a brilliant article that was.
9 Oct 2009, 15:14 pm
#19 gecko: gotta go, cheers man!
9 Oct 2009, 15:16 pm
WP, just making to point they can choose either. Think of it, if you are from Ulster you can play for Ireland but only be British in nationality. Although how it would impact IRB rules on being eligible is a question.
9 Oct 2009, 15:17 pm
#8 Simon:
I will back team that is specialists in sevens to beat a team made up 15 specialists playing sevens anyday.
Anybody who has ever played sevens before will tell you that it is not easy to play and is very technical.
Sevens rugby is a skill and requires specialists.
9 Oct 2009, 15:17 pm
#24 Simon:
Self-promotion
9 Oct 2009, 15:24 pm
#27 Sonito: And an insane fitness base.Even Jonathan Mokuena said he can’t anymore.
9 Oct 2009, 15:32 pm
#28 WP Till I Die:more like self-delusion…
#24 Simon: why did you delete the your first response simon? Ha ha ha lmao
9 Oct 2009, 15:32 pm
Yeeee Haaaaaaaaa!!!!!!
Good stuff!!!
9 Oct 2009, 15:43 pm
#24 Simon: are you still of the notion that the world series winners of 2009 are k@k? And nothing but a bunch of vodacom cup rejects? What am i asking? That’s what you post #8 spell out…
Paul Treu should not pick, habana, spies p, pietersen, kankowski, lest he be told that his side too was built by jake white! Ha ha ha
9 Oct 2009, 15:53 pm
#26 gecko: ok sure. They would surely play for the country of their birth..
9 Oct 2009, 16:14 pm
#32 Pearl Rose: Get seven top Boks (Habana, Pienaar etc), hold a three-week Sevens training camp and they would beat the current Bok Sevens side. Give them another month together and they would pump them.
9 Oct 2009, 16:15 pm
Ah but you see WP, Ireland a bit tricky. Rugby is only united thing between the two Irelands. And the republic will give passports to anyone born north of the border in Northern Ireland which is in UK. Man the politics there just as complicated as in SA or Palestine.
9 Oct 2009, 16:19 pm
#35 gecko: Oh I see how you’re looking at it. Oh I get it now. Ulster is in Northern Ireland… hence in the UK. Ok, so they would be confusion there…
9 Oct 2009, 16:19 pm
#6 cane: #10 justrugby: What I am getting at is the complete farce the Olympics is becoming. I believe only sports that have the Olympics as their pinnacle should be played. Athletics, swimming, 7s etc olympic gold medals will be the pinnacle. Whereas for sports like tennis, soccer and golf the olympics is like a little sideshow. WC trumps it, Wimbeldon trumps it, all the majors will trump it, so I won’t give a **** who wins it. You tell me who the reigning tennis (male and female) and soccer olympic champions without using google. I certainly don’t care. Do you? Will golf be any different?
9 Oct 2009, 16:21 pm
#34 Simon: I agree with you, and think that the best players should play in the Olympics. But isnt it a little hard on those who would have been playing all year round on the 7′s circuit, for the Boks as regulars.
9 Oct 2009, 16:23 pm
WP, go to the Guardian newspaper website. guardian.co.uk look in sport and blog and today’s Joy of Six article. Read number 4 about the two Irelands.
9 Oct 2009, 16:24 pm
#34 Simon: If they want to play in the Olympics they should sign as 7′s players. Isn’t that what is really important about this decision? Finally 7′s will be on the map. Players like Brent Russel wouldn’t have to look at the 15 man game for employment?
9 Oct 2009, 16:25 pm
#37 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR): I agree with all you are saying, I suppose it’s more the players of these codes that will love the title “olympic champion”, plus the medal that goes with it.
It also gives us a realistic chance to increase our gold medal tally
9 Oct 2009, 16:28 pm
#39 gecko: Will do. Thanks boet. Cheers gecko. I’m outta here
9 Oct 2009, 16:31 pm
#38 WP_: If they’re not good enough, they’re not good enough. Is the Bok Sevens team a charity team?
9 Oct 2009, 16:47 pm
great news…!!
now we can add Olympic Gold Medals to our catalogue of rugby honours..!!
9 Oct 2009, 16:48 pm
Pick the best players in the country for the Olympics…
9 Oct 2009, 16:57 pm
#43 Simon: not good enough for what simon? They’ve just won the world series…your statement is devoid of any logic!
9 Oct 2009, 19:14 pm
#44 ufo:
7s needs a totally different approach than the 15 man game. To be effective it would mean pulling our top players out of the 4N, S15 and tours in order to train and learn the differences. We just couldn’t select our top Boks and hope they’ll adjust for the olympics.
9 Oct 2009, 19:23 pm
saru just needs to come in & say “if you don’t have a sevens contract you can’t play in the olympics, period” guys like stick spend the whole year grafting to make the springbok sevens team the best, now when gold medals are on offer the 15-man okes want in, nonsense.
The olympics has boxing, but you don’t see floyd mayweather sweating a gold medal.
9 Oct 2009, 19:24 pm
Also, they’ll probably put an age limit on the players, as they do in soccer, with an allowance for a couple of more experienced players.
9 Oct 2009, 19:30 pm
#49 David: precisely! Plonkers like simon have been treating sevens like the step sister, now that there’s a ball coming they want to be first in line to greet the prince. Lol
the can be only one cinderella.
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.