Women push for Olympic sevens

Bret Harris | June 17, 2009

Article from: The Australian

THE growing popularity of women's rugby could be the catalyst for the sport's readmission to the Olympic Games.

Rugby sevens is one of seven sports that will be voted on by the IOC in Copenhagen in October for inclusion in the Olympic program from 2016 onwards.
The IOC prefers sports that cater for both men and women, which has hurt rugby's attempts to rejoin the Olympic family in the past.

But the IRB has worked hard to bridge the gender gap and women's rugby is now a major growth sport, taking significant steps over the past five years.

The IRB showed the importance of women's rugby when it included two women, including Australia's World Cup-winning captain Cheryl Soon, in a six-person delegation to lobby for rugby's return to the Olympics in Lausanne yesterday.

The other woman was leading Kazakhstan player Anastassiya Khamova, who joined IRB president Bernard Lapasset, IRB secretary general Mike Miller, Argentine legend Agustin Pichot and Kenyan sevens captain Humphrey Kayange.

"I think it's very important," Soon said of the importance of women's rugby to the Olympic bid. When the IRB took its case to the IOC in Singapore in a previous bid, one of the main reasons it was declined was that women were not involved in the sport. They weren't involved in the bid.

"The IRB have gone away and rectified the problem they previously had, not having women included in their campaign. It's very important," she said.

"Our success (at the World Cup in Dubai last March) demonstrated how important it is.

"They had two executive board members at the World Cup in Dubai and they were so impressed with the whole tournament, especially with the skill level of the women's game and how entertaining they were. It's vital, I think."

Soon played a leading role in delivering the IRB's "Rugby is right" pitch to the IOC.
"It was basically that rugby sevens is exciting, it's fast, it's entertaining, it has a huge fan base," she said.

"Playing at the Olympics, on the world stage, would provide another massive boost for rugby and for women's rugby."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html