Rugby Reaches Out in Lausanne
(IRB.COM) Monday 15 June 2009
The presentation team in front of the IOC officesThe President of the International Rugby Board (IRB), Bernard Lapasset, today led the team presenting Rugby Sevens’ case for inclusion in the Olympic Games to the IOC’s Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mr. Lapasset was joined by Mike Miller, Secretary General of the IRB, Agustín Pichot, former captain of the Argentina Sevens Rugby Team, Cheryl Soon, captain of the Australia Sevens team that won Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens earlier this year, Humphrey Kayange, captain of the Kenya Sevens team and Anastassiya Khamova, one of Kazakhstan’s top female players, a referee at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 and a leading figure in the Women’s Game.
“Our team was very excited about presenting to the IOC Executive Board today. Our rehearsals as a team in the last few weeks were very beneficial and I feel that we left a positive impression of a united and committed team with the members. We shared our Olympic vision and highlighted Rugby Sevens’ case for Olympic Games inclusion, which we firmly believe would be good for the Olympic Games and good for Rugby,” said Mr Lapasset.
“We are committed to the continued global growth and development of the sport and its values and it is this aim that underpins our current campaign to secure the introduction of Rugby Sevens in the Olympic Games, beginning in 2016,” added Lapasset.
Humphrey Kayange, captain of the Kenya Sevens team, believes that Olympic Games inclusion has the potential to offer medal opportunities to more nations around the world as well as bring a new fan base of enthusiastic young people to the Games.
“Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai showed that the so-called smaller sporting nations can compete with the biggest in the world. Countries like Zimbabwe, Samoa, Tonga, and Uruguay proved they are capable of beating the best. Playing at an Olympic Games would offer these countries a real chance of medals and a further opportunity to be part of the global sporting family.”
“Sevens supporters are like nothing I have seen before. They are passionate, dedicated and love sport. I know that once an Olympic Sevens tournament has finished, the Rugby fans would stay and enjoy all that the world’s greatest sporting celebration has to offer.”
Australia captain and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 gold medalist Cheryl Soon, believes that Olympic Games inclusion would provide a further boost to a women’s game that continues to go from strength to strength.
“All my teammates and colleagues on the Sevens circuit play at the highest level of our sport. We want to play alongside the world’s top athletes competing at the highest level of their sport. It would be a privilege to do so."
Agustín Pichot, a bronze medalist at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2001, reinforced the support of players for the campaign. He said: “I have spoken with many of my fellow top players and each one agrees that competing at the Olympic Games would be an amazing experience. We would all be there and would be proud to call ourselves Olympians”.
Anastassiya Khamova, captain of the Kazakhstan Sevens team and a top figure in the women’s game, indicated that a Rugby Sevens tournament at the Olympic Games would provide the impetus for the further growth of Women’s Rugby.
“Women’s Rugby is a strong sport and in excellent health. I was one of 32 administrators and senior players at the first ever IRB international conference on Women’s Rugby in London in 2007. Every single one of us agreed that Sevens in the Olympic Games would be the greatest catalyst to the growth of the women’s game and the best thing that could possibly happen to our Sport.”
Mike Miller said: “We believe that Rugby Sevens has much to offer the Olympic Movement. We would bring a modern, youthful and skilful sport that can be added easily, efficiently and cost-effectively to the Olympic Programme. The Sevens format – seven players per team, two seven-minute halves, 24 matches a day – is made for television, made for sponsors and most importantly loved by fans and players alike.”
http://www.irb.com/rugbyandtheolympi...s+out+lausanne
Golf, rugby favoured as sports bid for Olympics
"In the end, the decision will come down to which are the best fit for the Olympic program." Jacques Rogge, IOC president
With seven sports vying for inclusion in the 2016 Summer Games, Colin Montgomerie and Annika Sorenstam delivered the message on Monday that winning an Olympic gold medal in golf would be as important as winning a major.
Montgomerie, the European Ryder Cup captain, and Sorenstam, the Swedish great who retired last year after winning 10 majors, were the biggest names on hand when the sports federations made pitches to the International Olympic Committee executive board.
Baseball, softball, rugby sevens, roller sports, squash and karate also put their case to the board, which will meet in Berlin on August 13 to select two sports to put forward for ratification at the IOC general assembly in Copenhagen in October.
"All seven sports made interesting and informative presentations," IOC president Jacques Rogge said in a statement. "All have something to offer. In the end, the decision will come down to which are the best fit for the Olympic program."
Golf and rugby sevens - a shortened version of the more established 15-a-side game - have emerged as the favorites for acceptance on the Olympic program.....
The IOC's final decision will be made on October 9, seven days after the 2016 host city is selected from Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
In a new twist, the IOC said that even those five sports which fail to make the cut in August will be invited to Copenhagen. If the two recommended sports fail to win majority approval from the IOC assembly, it's possible the other five could still get a chance to be voted onto the program, IOC sports director Christophe Dubi said.
Softball and baseball are seeking a return to the Olympics after being voted off the program for the 2012 London Games in 2005. The other five failed to win enough votes for inclusion in 2005.
On Monday, International Baseball Federation president Harvey Schiller told the IOC that Major League Baseball would not schedule any games on the day of the Olympic medal games and would not televise MLB games that clash with the Olympic tournament.
Baseball - which has failed to bring top major league players to the Olympics - is offering a shortened five-day, eight-team format intended to ensure the participation of "a selection of the best players available."
"We expect to be able ... to have a plan which will allow us to have a representative number of players, much as the other (Olympic) sports that have ongoing seasons," said Donald Fehr, head of the major league players' union.
Baseball also addressed concerns about performance-enhancing drugs in the sport, bringing anti-doping manager Jean-Pierre Moser to the presentation and saying the international federation was compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code.
The softball federation stressed its work in developing the sport among youth and women in the Middle East and Africa, and distanced itself from baseball. Softball rejected a recent proposal to combine its bid with baseball, and has offered to include a men's softball tournament in the Olympics.
"I made it very clear in our presentation that we unequivocally are not part of baseball," IBF president Don Porter said. "It's important for our sport to be independent."
Rugby, whose delegation included former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot, told the IOC that the seven-a-side format is perfectly suited for the Olympics and other multi-sport competitions.
Squash said it was a truly international sport, with athletes from all five continents. Karate emphasized its low-cost aspect, saying it could share a venue with sports already on the program. And roller sports, which proposes inline skating street races, said it was a dynamic sport with youth appeal.
"We don't need any facilities," roller sports federation general secretary Roberto Marotta. "We can hold it in a car park or on a road."
http://livenews.com.au/sport/rugby/g...09/6/16/210122
