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
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9 Oct 2009, 19:32 pm
Simon, have you considered who would pay these players? The salaries of our top guys are way, way higher than anything our Olympic athletes currently receive from the Olympic committee.
9 Oct 2009, 19:52 pm
Doesnt mean anything to us.
The ANC will just use it as a political tool for AA and BEE.
Try again.
9 Oct 2009, 19:55 pm
#52 BlueBlood:
?
9 Oct 2009, 20:03 pm
Julle manne moet bietjie rugby-chat dot com try – glad nie kak nie.
Hier is nie eers ‘n Bulle score nie.
9 Oct 2009, 20:12 pm
#54 Blouste:
I agree, Keo’s screwed up badly by treating the game as being of no interest, even though the result is a forgone conclusion.
9 Oct 2009, 20:21 pm
very poor that no score or no interest in Bulls Leopards game. So what is the score?
9 Oct 2009, 20:28 pm
#52 BlueBlood: i wonder who is “us”?
9 Oct 2009, 20:32 pm
#56 skopskiet: Last I saw 54 -17 to the Bulls.
9 Oct 2009, 20:32 pm
#56 skopskiet: Sorry, Hiya Skop, fun lunch??
9 Oct 2009, 20:34 pm
Now 61 – 17 to the Bulls
9 Oct 2009, 20:36 pm
Nice lunch thanks Carol
Hope u fine
9 Oct 2009, 20:37 pm
Bulls running away with it. Was to be expected
9 Oct 2009, 20:40 pm
See what your hero been upto over the weekend, naughty boy. She’s too forgiving, should throw the book at him, but she probably knows he’ll crack up and she’s no monster. An angel more like. Booze the root of all mayhem and disaster
9 Oct 2009, 20:41 pm
64 – 24 Think game over.
#61 skopskiet: Yip, fine and dandy thanks.
All good in Cape Town!
9 Oct 2009, 20:46 pm
#57 Pearl Rose: Noone cares what tinkerbelles think. Go and pack your handbag for tomorrows breakfast at Tiffany’s.
9 Oct 2009, 20:53 pm
#63 skopskiet: Don’t be fooled by all those legs and that lovely long hair, she has been round the block a few times and Percy is putty in her hands!! She must have been very tiresome for him to snap like that!!
9 Oct 2009, 20:54 pm
Cape Town still afloat. Life ticks on as its designed to do. Most people scurrying around like ants making hay while the sun shines. Sun don’t shine forever, for every day time also got to be a night.
9 Oct 2009, 20:57 pm
Percy will just have to try grow up a little. He’s simply not in her league but maybe she’ll bear with it for better or for worse. As we all have to do.
9 Oct 2009, 21:18 pm
#68 skopskiet: Don’t forget ‘For richer and for poorer’ and who is the meal ticket in the Montgomery household!!
9 Oct 2009, 21:21 pm
#66 carol:he found her wearing his prized white boots & she gardening & spreading manure, that’s when percy lost it
#65 BlueBlood: now i’m even more confused. Oh well.
9 Oct 2009, 21:24 pm
She don’t need any money from Monty be absolutely sure of that. If anyone is the beggar here it most certainly ain’t her. Boots quite on the other foot in this case. Dunno if Percy going to be able to step up to the mark but if anything he better die trying else its skid row from there on out. This chicks in another class and its not about looks, or money, Percy just a lightweight in comparison.
9 Oct 2009, 21:30 pm
#70 Pearl Rose: Now that would be a sight to behold, I very much doubt Mrs.M does gardening!! Heheheh
9 Oct 2009, 21:31 pm
#71 skopskiet: I think husband No.1 was probably quite well off, I understand he died, is that right?
9 Oct 2009, 21:37 pm
Please guys, do we have to discuss Percy on every thread? The guy lost it and everything else is pure speculation. According to the statement, nobody was actually physically assaulted. Whether that’s true or not we’ll probably never know. Monty is just a high profile rugby player, nothing else.
9 Oct 2009, 21:38 pm
Don’t know nothing bout no husband no.1. Just know Mrs Montgomery is high quality in every aspect. Dunno how Percy got it right to cross the bridge to that side of the tracks but he did, now he going to have to learn how to stay there. And lay off the g’damn booze for his own sake. If he can at least do that much.
9 Oct 2009, 21:42 pm
Easy to ride high, just as easy to fall flat on your face. Roller coaster of life aint no joy ride. Razors edge of reap as you sow is a real reality whether anyone realize it or not.
Tiptoe through the tulips that should be most high profiles motto’s.
9 Oct 2009, 21:43 pm
#74 David: and now he is a wife clobbering plonker too!
9 Oct 2009, 21:50 pm
#77 Pearl Rose:
If he did. My point is that these threads and the comments are more akin to a Hollywood gossip column than a mature rugby blog.
If Percy’s guilty then Tasmin should take him to the cleaners, but for us to focus on this for the best part of the day is just commenting for the sake of it.
9 Oct 2009, 21:56 pm
Poor rugby players they just not equiped for real life. Big bravado little boys with ego’s that are untamed. Poor buggers simply don’t know what to do or how to handle the real world of emotional reaction, specially when its the woman that really wields the whip when push comes to shove. James Small, Dalton, Percy, big he men on the rugby field till the lady shows who’s boss then they crumble like the bags of puffed up huff n puff pride they are. Like little boys in a heap on the floor.
Real world much tougher than those 4 white lines where gladiators think they the tough nuts when back at the ranch they just marshmallows.
9 Oct 2009, 22:00 pm
#24 Simon:
Just glad to see Keo gave you a talk down earlier in the week i.e. spent time with the bloggers and defend your views (if you can)
#74 David:
According to Joost’s statement afterwards, he never knew the girl, regardless of the photo’s.
9 Oct 2009, 22:01 pm
#79 skopskiet:
I’m surprised that you haven’t commented on the fact that 7s rugby is now an Olympic discipline.
9 Oct 2009, 22:03 pm
#80 nama1:
I’ve never mentioned Jooste, not in that post or any other time. I think you may be confused.
9 Oct 2009, 22:05 pm
Not much else to be blogging about unless you like to discuss Betelgeuse that might go or may have already gone super nova. Or else whether Iran’s nuclear warheads could spark off the real Armageddon.
Could always swap koeksuster recipes instead though. Or speculate who’s going to be Jakes lackey coach at winning ways Leeutjies.
I did see that Pdv said on Tv3 news that he’s real disappointed with most the Cc coaches and management for hiring foreign players instead of developing our own, and that no one gbs even bothered consulting him about the cause or effects of it all. Poor show Cc coaches, poor f.ng show indeed. All of these big spending pro palooka’s.
9 Oct 2009, 22:16 pm
Nice that 7′s rugby will be an Olympic discipline in 2016 and 2020. Thats if this civilization gets through the next 7 years in one piece. I’ll go gaga when I see it happening, though for me Olympics should be about athletics, swimming, wrestling, boxing, rowing, archery, weight lifting, gymnastics, board diving, volley ball, table tennis, fencing, judo, and probably a good few more real intense skill sports.
Not for soccer, tennis, rugby, cricket croquet and all these other pom pom sports.
Though I do think 7′s rugby could well be a welcomed inclusion, far better than soccer, tennis and cricket.
9 Oct 2009, 22:20 pm
#82 David:
I also did not mention Jooste.
9 Oct 2009, 22:25 pm
gbs – has . Blame it on the auto spell memory on this phone key pad.
9 Oct 2009, 22:26 pm
#83 skopskiet:
As a red dwarf, Betelgeuse was always going to implode. The star, not the character in Hitch hikers Guide.
I don’t believe that any team game should have Olympic status, if one is taking a purist attitude.
9 Oct 2009, 22:28 pm
#85 nama1:
80. nama1 :
October 9th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
#74 David:
According to Joost’s statement afterwards, he never knew the girl, regardless of the photo’s.
Sober up.
9 Oct 2009, 22:37 pm
Well David according to Schwartz a prominent astro scientist who’s been studying Betelgeuse the Red Giant star in normal condition before nova more than 1000 times the size of our sun and only a meager 400 light years away which in cosmic terms is right next door, its going or has gone super nova within the 400 light years that is its distance from here. According his assessment if thats the case, this entire solar system is history. Humanity as we know it, in fact this entire little neighbourhood of planets is history, black hole here we come. Poof ! back into the cosmic soup. All over Rover, lets start again, don’t collect your get out of jail card as you pass by go. Fini mon ami. Klaar gelag.
9 Oct 2009, 22:38 pm
#88 David:
There’s a difference between Jooste and Joost’s. Maybe your’e the one not so sober any more.
9 Oct 2009, 22:41 pm
Awfully quiet around here, maybe the defection is now complete, all those highly knowledgeable rugby fundi’s all signed up and approved on rugby talk.com
I still say nothing short of cowardice, but then thats just my little assessment of the scenario.
9 Oct 2009, 22:44 pm
#89 skopskiet:
Red giant is right. Astronomy was a passion of mine when I was a kid. Orion used to dominate the view from my bedroom window in winter in the NH.
I’ll be gone long before then anyway. It took me a while to accept that I’d never see the future of mankind, and that was when I was 12.
9 Oct 2009, 22:46 pm
#90 nama1:
So which post of mine were you referring to?
9 Oct 2009, 22:52 pm
hey intergalactic skop i’m entering east london on my to the transkei, any old mates of yours i should say “what’s up” to?
9 Oct 2009, 22:53 pm
#89 skopskiet: so when’s it all over?
9 Oct 2009, 22:53 pm
#91 skopskiet:
The break was on the cards for a while. In fact it existed long before it happened. If you want more info, mail me at david@crm2 dot co dot za with your cell number. I’d like to chat anyway.
9 Oct 2009, 22:58 pm
#83 skopskiet: I guess PDV is annoyed Pienaar isn’t getting game time 10 ahead of Hernandez
9 Oct 2009, 22:59 pm
#89 skopskiet:
LOL, thats one of the funniest i’ve read yet. come on, whats wrong with a bit of mayhem? besides, what if we get off this rock before it goes boom? they even exploding rockets into the moon to check for water – it should all be ok providing your great great great grand-kids are happy living in another solar system.
9 Oct 2009, 22:59 pm
#93 David:
“I’ve never mentioned Jooste, not in that post or any other time. I think you may be confused.”
See 82.
9 Oct 2009, 23:04 pm
#92 david. Your knowledge of astronomy far outstrips mine. Though I’m pretty fascinated by this universal existence and the immense grandeur of it all. What fascinates me is that our known history stretches how far back, yet if this theory is correct we could be facing a complete dissolution of this little corner of the Milky Way within the next 400 years or sooner if Betelgeuse already started its nova state within the last 400 yrs which we’ll only know when that light reaches here.
We might think that our total conscious existence begins and ends with birth and death into and out of this human frame, but I believe otherwise. Now if we accept that evolution is a proven theory, then what theory supercedes it if all this evolving simply gets snuffed out by a neighbouring star that goes boom, or a meteor hits. Where we reckon our origin begins or ends? We might have some kind of false sense of permanence that this body is the be all and end all of our existence when in fact its probably furthest from the truth. But ultimately if Betelgeuse has or is going boom then all this creating and evolving and coming and going from one species to the next seems all in vain, or is it? Hmm, rather bigger considerations and concerns to my thinking than who’s the next Lions coach or who’s going to win the 2011 RWC or the 2016 Olympic 7′s gold medal.
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