• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

Robin Heymann

The seconds are ticking away till Rugby Sevens’ big day this coming Friday (October 9). After years of hard graft from everyone associated with the sport we finally find out if Rugby Sevens has cut the mustard and joined the ultimate sporting extravaganza.

What many people don’t realise is that Rugby has actually had a long Olympic association. For those historians and general knowledge aficionados out there enjoy this timeline documenting Rugby's Olympic story.

1896
Rugby becomes firmly on the Olympic radar thanks to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement.

He describes the sport as a ‘reflection of life, a lesson experimenting in the real world, a first-rate educational tool’. The Baron becomes one the Rugby’s leading promoters.

1900
France, Frankfurt FC (Germany) and Moseley Wanderers (UK) are the three sides to take part in Rugby’s first outing at the Olympics in Paris. Playing in the traditional 15-a-side format France take gold.

1908
Dismissed by USA for the 1904 spectacle, rugby returns to the Olympics in London. With multiple invitations rejected or ignored it leaves Australia and county champions Cornwall (representing England) as sole participants, with the Wallabies comfortably winning 32-3.

1920
Rugby returns following the Great War but many nations abstain from competing in Antwerp. It’s left to a bunch of Californian students to represent the USA, who stun France 8-0 to take gold.

1924
France help kick off the Paris Games thrashing debutants Romania 61-3. But they come unstuck in the final losing to an inspired USA again, 17-3.

1928
When the Baron stepped down as President of the IOC his replacement didn’t share the same enthusiasm for Rugby or team sports in general. Olympic rugby was sent into the wilderness...

1994
Fast forward to the Nineties and following his election as Chairman of the IRB, Vincent Pugh tells his Council that Olympic membership could be beneficial.

Later that year the IRB was officially confirmed as a Recognised International Federation of the IOC. Progress.

1998
Big step for Rugby Sevens as it gets its first taste of life amongst a multi-sport event with participation in the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

A certain Jonah Lomu proving inspirational for the Kiwis in claiming Commonwealth gold. The sport goes onto become integral elements of 2002 and 2006 Games, with Sevens proving the perfect multi-sport fit.

2001
Sevens’ fast-pace and vigour attracts the Olympic Programme Commission who recommends Rugby Sevens to the IOC Council for inclusion into the 2008 Beijing Games.

Although its addition wasn’t accepted the IRB continues the campaign. Rugby’s global growth continues to expand.

2005
Dr Syd Millar replaces Pugh as IRB Chairman. Continued Olympic pursuits causes the IOC to review the sport again, this time for the London 2012 Games. Although Sevens reaches the shortlist, agonisingly no new sports were added the Games.

2009
On the IRB World Sevens Series 10th anniversary, President Bernad Lapasset makes admission into the Games one his top remits.

The IRB believes that Rugby Sevens would add value to the Olympic Games by attracting a proven young international audience to a globally popular sport, which reflects all Olympic ideals.

One major difference between previous campaigns is the successful inaugural inclusion of women into the World Cup Sevens. With Sevens and Golf making the shortlist, we wait with baited breath till October 9th to see if Sevens will be heading to Rio de Janeiro 2016.

PLAY YOUR PART to help get Rugby into the Olympics...