This weekend the historic Sao Paolo Lions International Sevens Rugby Cup will take place, giving rugby fans in Brazil a first chance to sample Sevens since it was voted into the programme for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Every December the tournament takes place at the SPAC Rugby Club, but this year's will be seen as the beginning of the country's long preparations for 2016.

Over 500 players will participate in men's, women's, Under 19s, juniors and veteran categories with sides travelling in from Argentina and Uruguay to challenge Brazil's best.

The São Paulo Sevens is also part of Brazil's Sevens circuit and the overall champion wins the right to official government funding called the Bolsa Atleta, a subsidy offered for top athletes. The champion team of this year's Sevens ciircuit will receive £200 per athlete each month.

"The Sao Paulo Athletic Club is the founder of rugby in Brazil, as well as the organizer of the oldest and largest rugby event in Brazil, and this year we have had to expand our tournament to 24 mens teams, 12 ladies teams and the usual vets and junior categories tallying a total of over 540 athletes from all over Brazil," said Tournament Director Duncan Randall.

Brazil catching Rugby fever

"We are excited this year to see the numbers growing to the point where we have had to turn down teams because we cannot accomodate them due to time restraints and logistical reasons, but we are receiving teams from parts of Brazil new to Rugby.

"From the North alone we have two new teams coming and a third which participated last year. They cover great distances, three to five hours of flying time, to be with us."

There is also an admirable socio-economic drive behind the tournament's continued success and growth.

"We shall also be hosting a mini rugby event involving under-priviledged children," said Randell.

"As a social programme, 'Rugby Para Todos' has been extremely succesful in taking children off the streets and teaching them values we hold dear as rugby players. As a rule children caught skipping school are denied training."

The Brazilian women's team showed their class at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in March. Unbeaten on home soil for over four years, they reaching the final of the Bowl and narrowly missed out to China 10-7.

Some of the team are expected to be playing for their club teams this weekend in a rugby festival that traditionally marks the end of the rugby season in Brazil.

http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/news/newsid=2035094.html