1924; the twenties were in full swing. St. Petersburg, Russia, changed its name to Leningrad, a US presidential address was broadcast for the first time on the radio, and the first “Thanksgiving” parade took place in New York. 1924 and the 1920s were generally prime times, World War I was behind the people, and the world looked forward to a prosperous future. Well, with the beauty of hindsight, we can see that 1924 was also the “last” for something. 1924, 2 generations ago, was the last time rugby participated in the Olympic Games.
The ‘Chariots of Fire’ games were held in Paris, France and the United States of America won Olympic gold by defeating their home country 17-3 in the final. 83 years later, rugby is once again on the brink of being welcomed back into what most of the world regards as sporting immortality, the Olympics.
After an unsuccessful offer to enter the 2012 games, Rugby is at the forefront of applicants to enter the 2016 games. For the International Rugby Board, the application process is almost complete, they have presented their case and decision. it is now firmly in the hands of the IOC and its members.
Of course this time it is a different form of rugby than the one that took place in Paris many moons ago; Rugby Sevens, the modified form of 7 per side of the game is the game seeking entry. In recent times, it has shown that its global appeal at an elite level reaches far beyond that of its older brother, the 15-player game, and this has become part of the argument for its inclusion in the 4th sports jamboree. annual.
After completing the proposal and submission to the IOC, Mr. Bernard Lapasset, who has led the bid on behalf of the IOC as President, said: “Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai demonstrated that the so-called smaller sporting nations can compete with the largest in the world. Countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Samoa, Tonga and Uruguay have shown that they are capable of beating the best. Playing in an Olympic Games would offer these countries a real chance to win medals and one more chance to be part of the world sports family “.
Mr. Lapasset hits at a very strong point, none of the above teams has a realistic chance of winning medals if the game of 15 was the sport of choice and in many cases other team sports except Rugby Sevens. With only 14 minutes, 7 men and a lot of running, passing, hitting and did I mention running, all of these nations have a chance to take home a medal for their country.
