Rugby at the Olympics

Men's Olympic 7-a-side rugby tournament
Association	IRB / IOC
First edition	2016
Teams	12
Title holder	Fiji 1st title
Record winner	Fiji (1 × gold)
Website	irb.com olympic.org (English)

Women's 7-a-side Olympic rugby tournament
Association	IRB / IOC
First edition	2016
Teams	12
Title holder	Australia 1st title
Record winner	Australia (1 × gold)
Website	irb.com olympic.org (English)

Men's Olympic Rugby Union Tournament
Association	IRB / IOC
First edition	1900
Title holder	United States (2nd title)
Record winner	United States (2 × gold)
Website	irb.com olympic.org (English)

Sports from the rugby family were and are official disciplines at the modern Olympic Games in two periods . Rugby union was initially part of the sports program at the Summer Olympics in 1900 with an interruption until the 1924 Summer Olympics . After a 92-year hiatus, 7-a-side rugby was added as a new Olympic discipline for the 2016 Summer Games .

Shortly after the 1924 Summer Olympics , the International Olympic Committee deleted rugby union from the Olympic program. From this point on there have been several attempts to reintroduce the sport into the competitive program. In October 2009, the IOC decided that rugby in the 7 variant will be Olympic from 2016.

history

1900 to 1924 - Rugby Union in the Olympic Games

Rugby was introduced at the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin . Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, was a well-known rugby personality in France. He founded u. a. the French rugby championship.

In 1900, three countries (France, Great Britain and Germany) took part in the competition. Great Britain and Germany were not represented by a national team, but each sent a club team. The rules, especially for points, were different from those of modern rugby unions. France won the gold medal. 6000 people watched the game between France and Great Britain.

After this first participation, rugby union was withdrawn from the program at the 1904 Summer Olympics and the 1906 Olympic Intermediate Games . It was not until the Olympic Games in 1908 that rugby became part of the program again. As with the 1900 Games, three countries took part in the competition. This time it was Australasia (an amalgamation of Australia and New Zealand), France and the host Great Britain. In the end, Australasia was able to win the final against Great Britain with 32:03 and secure the gold medal. The game took place under poor conditions. Fog partially obstructed the view. Rugby was also planned for the 1916 Olympic Games. The games did not take place due to the First World War. Rugby Union was then part of the Olympic sports program twice before it was finally canceled after the 1924 Games.

Overview of the competitions

Rugby - Current competitions
competition	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Men women
7-a-side rugby men																												•	•	2
7-a-side rugby women																												•	•	2
Rugby - Former Competitions
competition	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Men
Rugby Union - men	•			•		•	•																							4th
Number of competitions	1			1		1	1																					2	2

2016 men's Olympic rugby seven tournament

qualification

After rugby 7 was included as a sporting discipline for 2016, the world association IRB determined a qualification mode. 12 teams can qualify for the Summer Olympics. The qualification takes place in four phases. In the first phase, Brazil, the host country, automatically got first place on the grid. In the second phase, the first four teams in the World Sevens Series, an annual global tournament, get the next four places. The season before the games is decisive for qualification. Accordingly, the performance in the World Sevens Series of the 2014/2015 season is relevant for Rio 2016. In the third phase, the next six places will be occupied by the winners of the regional continental competitions from the year before the Olympic Games. The continental competitions are organized by the continental federations, for Africa by the Confédération Africaine de Rugby (CAR), for Asia by the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU), for Europe by the Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur Association Européenne de Rugby (FIRA-AER) , for North America and the Caribbean by the North America and West Indies Rugby Association (NACRA), for Oceania by the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU) and for South America by the Confederación Sudamericana de Rugby (CONSUR). In the fourth and final qualification phase, the last place is determined from a tournament with 16 teams. The 16 teams consist of places 2–4 in the tournaments of CAR and ARFU, places 2–5 in FIRA-AER and places 2–3 in NACRA, FORU and CONSUR.

2016 women's 7-a-side Olympic rugby tournament

qualification

As for the men's tournament, 12 teams can qualify for the women's tournament for the summer games in Rio de Janeiro . The qualification for the Olympics is similar to that of the men. In the first phase, the host country Brazil automatically got first place. In the second phase, the first four teams of the Women's Sevens World Series get the next four places. The season before the Olympic Games is decisive for the evaluation. Accordingly, the final table of the WSWS for the 2014/2015 season is relevant for Rio 2016. In the third phase, six places will be filled by the winners of the regional continental competitions from the year before the Summer Games. In the last phase, the last starting place in a tournament with 16 teams is determined. The 16 teams consist of places 2–4 in the tournaments of CAR and ARFU, places 2–5 in FIRA-AER and places 2–3 in NACRA, FORU and CONSUR.

Rugby Union in the Olympic Games until 1924

The tournaments at a glance

year	host	gold		silver		bronze
1900 details	Paris ( France )	France		Great Britain German Empire
1908 details	London ( Great Britain )	Australasia		Great Britain
1920 details	Antwerp ( Belgium )	United States		France
1924 details	Paris ( France )	United States		France		Romania
1928-2012	not carried out
2016 details	Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil )	Men	Women	Men	Women	Men	Women
		Fiji	Australia	United Kingdom	New Zealand	South Africa	Canada

Total statistics

country	Games	Victories	Dutch	Game points	Diff.	gold	silver	bronze	Participation
United States	3	3	0	64:03	+61	2	0	0	2
France	5	3	2	116: 53	+63	1	2	0	3
Australasia	1	1	0	32:03	+29	1	0	0	1
United Kingdom	2	0	2	11:59	−48	0	2	0	2
Germany	1	0	1	17:27	−10	0	1	0	1
Romania	2	0	2	03:98	−95	0	0	1	1

Varia

competition	places	Stages	Teams	Games	VS	VS / game	spectator	Z / game		/Game		/Game		/Game
1900	1	1	3	2			10,000	5,000
1908	1	1	2	1
1920	1	1	2	1
1924	1	1	3	3			41,000	13,600

• VS - attempts

Individual evidence

1. ^ Golf & rugby voted into Olympics. In: bbc.co.uk . Retrieved March 8, 2014.
2. ^ Where les Anglais fear to tread. In: theguardian.com . Retrieved March 9, 2014.
3. ↑ A short but eventful Olympic rugby history. In: rugbynetwork.net . Retrieved March 9, 2014.