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more »Rugby & Golf await Olympic vote

Rugby Sevens and Golf face one last test on Friday morning to decide if they are to be included in the Olympics from 2016.
The International Olympic Committee's executive board voted to include both at a meeting two months ago.
But the recommendation must be rubber-stamped by a full meeting of the IOC congress in Copenhagen, which started last week with Rio de Janiero awarded the 2016 Games.
The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, a former rugby international for Belgium it is thought that the scaled-down version of the game should have no problems in making it through the voting process.
However, the IOC insists neither will be included as a demonstration sport at the London 2012 Olympics.
The practice of demonstration sports ended in 1992 and neither taekwondo or triathlon, the two most recent additions to the Olympic programme at the Sydney 2000 Games, were trialled in Atlanta in 1996.
IOC's executive director of Olympic Games, Gilbert Felli, said: "We don't have any demonstration sports any more so we don't see either golf or rugby being demonstration sports in London."
The President of the IRB, Bernard Lapasset, is leading the team presenting Rugby Sevens' case at the 121st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Copenhagen this week.
"Our team is very excited to be presenting to the full IOC membership on Friday and has been rehearsing and preparing very thoroughly. We were honoured to be recommended by the IOC Executive Board and now we are looking forward to sharing our vision for Olympic Games inclusion with the broader membership. We firmly believe that Rugby would be good for the Games and the Games good for Rugby" said Lapasset.
"We offer the Olympic Games young, passionate fans that will travel to the Games and fill the stadiums to cheer on Rugby as well as the other Olympic sports. The IRB is also committed to working with every National Olympic Committee to develop their men's and women's Sevens teams and to promote the growth of the sport around the world. Rugby is reaching out."
President Lapasset will be joined by IRB Chief Executive Mike Miller who is adamant of that Olympic inclusion is a major turning point for the sport.
"I don't think people realise yet how big this could be for rugby," Miller said earlier this week.
"This is right up there with the inception of the Rugby World Cup and the game going open. We have 116 members of the IRB, but there are 205 nations involved in the Olympics and I have already been approached by a number of countries who have said that if sevens is included, they will be interested in investing in rugby."
Former Argentina captain Agustín Pichot, Cheryl Soon, captain of the Australia team that won the Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2009, Kenya Sevens captain Humphrey Kayange, Anastassiya Khamova, one of Kazakhstan's top female players and New Zealand Rugby legend Jonah Lomu join the pair.
"The Olympic Games is the pinnacle for every athlete around the world. Rugby Sevens is a global sport played by the sport's most skilful athletes. Our top players want to be a part of the Olympic Family and experience playing on the world's greatest sporting stage. They would be proud Olympians," said Lomu, who won Rugby Sevens gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
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