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The International Rugby Board today announced the much anticipated line up of teams for the Rugby Sevens tournament at this year’s World Games in Kaohsiung.

South Africa, the IRB Sevens World Series champions, will be joined in the eight-team, two-day tournament which kicks off on July 24, by Fiji, the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005 champions and reigning World Games champions, with Argentina, Portugal, USA, Japan, Hong Kong and hosts Chinese Taipei completing the high level line up.

“We firmly believe that the Sevens tournament at the World Games plays an important role in the ongoing development and promotion of Rugby around the world, producing exciting matches and attracting new fans thanks to the remarkable talent of all the international teams competing,” said IRB President Bernard Lapasset.

“The Sevens tournament at the World Games has always proven successful and this year we are particularly excited that the competition is being held in Asia where Rugby is reaching out to new young audiences in a rapidly developing market for our sport. We are looking forward to what promises to be an exciting tournament.”

South Africa’s headline acts such as Mpho Mbiyozo, Mzwandile Stick, Gio Aplon, Neil Powell, Robert Ebersohn and Renfred Dazel are all set to be in Kaohsiung. Indeed, the South African team start as strong medal favourites for the tournament which will provide a platform for world class international Sevens stars to showcase their talent to a new audience in Chinese Taipei.

“The World Games is something that we are really looking forward to,” said South Africa captain Mpho Mbiyozo. “My teammates and I anticipate that being in Kaohsiung, competing for a medal with top level athletes from around the world and experiencing a truly international sporting event will be an inspiring experience.”

“We all aspire to compete at the very highest level on the world’s biggest sporting stages and we believe that the World Games gives us a sense of what we might experience at the Olympic Games. We wholly support Rugby’s re-inclusion in the Olympic Programme and hope to have an opportunity to compete at that level in 2016.”

However, the beauty of Sevens is its competitive and unpredictable nature and with Fiji and Argentina recording tournament victories in the IRB Sevens World Series this year and USA making a semi final for the first time, the competition promises to be intense.

Ron Froehlich, President of the International World Games Association, believes that the inclusion of some of the world’s finest Sevens teams will add to the renowned international flavour of the World Games.

“The Rugby Sevens tournament has grown to become a highlight of the World Games sporting programme, providing an exciting spectacle for fans and participants alike. The inclusion of some of the world’s best Sevens teams from every corner of the world will broaden the Games’ global appeal even further.”

The pools and schedule for the two-day tournament will be announced shortly.