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more »USA Rugby gear up for Friday
The global rugby family faces their last few pivotal days in the run-up to the IOC vote in Copenhagen on October 9, when it will be decided whether Sevens is to be admitted to the 2016 Olympic Games.
While leading figures from the International Rugby Board (IRB) are in Copenhagen to present to the IOC, some top names from USA Rugby will be in New York City also promoting the sport in The Big Apple.
As part of its final push this week, USA Rugby's CEO Nigel Melville will be joined in NYC by Sevens Coach Al Caravelli, and U.S. Sevens Team members Mark Bokhoven (Denver Barbarians) and Jen Sinkler (Keystone) as they hit major media outlets and host a gathering following the Olympic decision announcement on Friday as part of the USA's promotion of the sevens game.
Radical changes
Speaking on behalf of the U.S. game, Melville added his sentiment, saying "In the USA, rugby is growing by the day. We have thousands of young players now picking up a rugby ball for the first time.
“If Rugby Sevens were to be included in the Olympic Games, the sport would have an even greater appeal to an even wider audience as there is no better global sporting stage than the Olympic Games.”
Melville also commentated on his own personal blog recently, citing that Olympic inclusion will raise the profile of rugby in successful Olympic countries like the USA, Russia and China.
“The game of Sevens will grow, players will start to make choices between the two rugby brands, better athletes will come into the game and chase rugby’s Olympic dream.
“We will create specialist Sevens coaches and players, fans and events. I don’t think Rugby Sevens will eclipse the XVs game; the Rugby World Cup will remain rugby’s premier global event. Olympic recognition will grow participation in Sevens. It will raise the profile and credibility of rugby in emerging and traditional Olympic markets. The game will have a responsibility to start behaving like an Olympic sport,” he added.
USA 7s Coach Al Caravelli thinks the realistic opportunity to become an Olympian will drive elite athletes to the sport.
"From an early age, Americans believe that the greatest success an athlete can achieve is becoming an Olympian and competing in the Olympics,"
"If rugby is included in the Olympics, I believe we will see more athletes taking up rugby who previously played other American sports. If rugby becomes an Olympic sport, one of our goals will be to convert these athletes into rugby players," said Caravelli.
Growth like Soccer in 1996
America is also featured as one of the eight IRB Sevens World Series stops and is the largest international rugby event held in the U.S. Bringing in a crowd of nearly 35,000 during the two days of men's and women's sevens competition in 2009, this upcoming year's event, which is set for Las Vegas, is looking to be bigger and better than ever.
"Rugby is a sport that has seen a great rise in female participation. More attention and formal organization has meant exponential growth in the sport at all levels. The level of play at the 2009 Sevens Rugby World Cup was a testament to this," said USA Women's Sevens player Ines Rodriguez.
"As an athlete, I have always dreamed of being an Olympic athlete, but beyond my personal dreams is the dream of growing the sport of rugby into a global game beyond the major 'rugby playing nations'. If rugby was allowed in the Olympic Games, I'm certain we would see a similar growth and development as women's soccer did following the Olympics in 1996."
Caravelli added, "The true beauty of modern Sevens is that there isn't a large gap between the top teams and some of the supposed 'lesser' nations."
"The World Series continues to demonstrate that upsets are always possible and a Cinderella team medaling in the Olympics, if we are included, is indeed a possibility.
Rugby supporters and media are invited to the Sevens announcement events in NYC - Mr. Dennehey’s Pub, 63 Carmine St., New York City. Get behind the campaign and register its support in a poll running on online Olympic publication InsidetheGames.biz.
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