SYDNEY, 21 November 2003 — Sevens rugby could become an Olympic sport announced International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge yesterday if another sport was dropped and it met the strict criteria required by his body.
The Belgian former Olympic yachtsman and rugby international ruled out the XV version making it as there too few teams capable of making it competitive but he added sevens — which along with golf is on the official ‘waiting list’ — was viable.
“If we would go to a tournament of about 16 countries you would have these very big scores like we had in the preliminaries of the World Cup,” he said.
“That is something that is not interesting for the two weeks of the Olympic Games.
“In sevens you have a far broader elite you have at least 15 countries that are really world class which is not the case in (15-man game),” added the former orthopedic surgeon, who is due to attend the World Cup final between Australia and England tomorrow.
Rogge ruled out a XV tournament — which was dropped after the 1924 Games when the United States beat France for gold — with just eight teams competing because he said the players needed too long to recuperate between games and with the Olympics just a fortnight long it wouldn’t be practical.
Sevens tournaments take place over two days and it proved a major success in its inaugural appearance at the Commonwealth Games last year in Manchester, England.
Rogge said he still loved the sport but it was not up to him to have it included and he emphasized it was not a case of voting it on to the roster as places remained limited.
Several sports including pentathlon, baseball and softball are under fierce scrutiny and are in danger of being dropped but any sport wishing to replace them has to meet several stringent criteria.
“If no sport leaves no sport gets in,” Rogge said.
The IOC will discuss the possible inclusion of rugby for the 2008 Olympics after the Athens Games in August — a decision will be made at the IOC general assembly in July 2005.
