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On Thursday the 15-member Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee will meet in Berlin to discuss the seven sports hoping to be added to the illustrious list of Olympic sports.

Rugby Sevens, Golf, Karate, Squash, Roller Sports, Softball and Baseball all presented their respective cases back in June and the primary aim of the meeting in Berlin, having reviewed the presentations, is to narrow this list to two to recommend for acceptance into the Olympic programme for the 2016 Games.

In 2002, the IOC agreed to limit the number of sports in the Olympic Games to 28 and following a review in 2004, 26 sports will be competing in the 2012 Olympic Games - coincidentally with Softball and Baseball being removed from 2008 - leaving two slots open for 2016 which all seven sports hope to fill.

Being recognised when the decision is made in Berlin, however, does not automatically grant Olympic inclusion as Squash and Karate know all too well.

Having been selected as the recommended two from a list consisting of the same sports minus Baseball and Softball in 2005, they did not receive the required two-thirds vote from the assembly and were not promoted to Olympic sport status.

The final decision this time will not be made until the 106-member assembly meet in Copenhagen on October and with votes by the IOC’s executive board often unpredictable, once again neither of the selected two will take anything for granted.

Despite not knowing whether the two proposed sports will be accepted or rejected, individually or as a pair, the looming decision on Thursday is one of the biggest days to date in all of the sport’s histories and will still be celebrated from anyone involved in the bids.

In 2004 the Olympic Programme Commission was created by the IOC to review all Olympic sports and non-Olympic recognised sports under the seven criteria for whether a sport should be included in the Olympic Programme.

The IOC will have been looking at the sports meticulously, with these seven criteria in mind, but there are other things the IOC will have been looking at, however, in the shape of whether the event in the Olympic Games will be seen as the pinnacle for the athletes of the sport.

This is where Rugby Sevens may have an advantage. Following the IRB’s suggestion that the RWC Sevens will finish if the sport makes it into the Olympic Games, this box is ticked.

The sport also offers a realistic chances of medals being given to a broad range of nations who might not normally win many medals – such as Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina. Furthermore, Olympic status will act as a major catalyst for many smaller rugby nations to radically improve.

The International Rugby Players' Association (IRPA) is backing Rugby Sevens' campaign for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games.

"IRPA is fully committed to the International Rugby Board's vision to see Rugby Sevens included in the Olympic Games in 2016 and our players are unanimous in their support," said IRPA Chairman Damian Hopley, a Rugby World Cup Sevens gold medallist with England in 1993.

"Olympic inclusion would mark an important milestone for our game and would enable rugby and its leading principles of camaraderie, fair play, respect and teamwork to inspire a growing number of young people around the world.

"We also believe that it is important that all athletes are given an opportunity to fulfil their dreams and compete at the highest level possible and there is no greater global sporting stage to achieve this than the Olympic Games."

The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius – Swifter, Higher, Stronger – and on Thursday we will find out which sport fits this bill the best in the IOC's eyes.

Help get Rugby Sevens into the Olympics and play your part!