Is rugby an Olympic sport, how many Games has it been in and will it feature at Paris 2024?
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games officially begins on Friday 26th July with the opening ceremony on the Rive Seine.
The French capital will welcome the world’s greatest athletes for the world’s biggest sporting event with over 10,000 athletes from 206 nations taking part in 329 events in 32 different sports across the next two and a half weeks.
For rugby fans, however, the question will be is rugby an Olympic sport and, if so, where and who can I watch?
Is rugby an Olympic sport?
Fiji win gold during the Men’s Rugby Sevens at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Yes, rugby is an Olympic sport. Not in the full 15-a-side version of the game but in the shortened, exciting format of rugby sevens.
Rugby Sevens was introduced to the Olympics Games at Rio 2016. Fiji men won the nation’s first-ever gold medal – men’s or women’s – by beating Team GB, who took silver. South Africa secured bronze over Japan. Australia won gold in the women’s event while New Zealand took silver and Canada took bronze.
In Tokyo 2020, Fiji men defended their title with New Zealand taking silver and Argentina taking bronze. New Zealand women earned gold, France took silver and Fiji took bronze.
Interestingly, the 15-a-side union format of the game was an Olympic sport but was last featured 100 years ago. A men’s event debuted at the 1900 Games, also in Paris, with home side France taking gold. The last 15s medal was awarded at the 1924 Game, again in Paris, with the USA taking the title.
This means that the defending Olympic champions in rugby union are technically the USA.
Rugby at the Paris 2024 Olympics: Need to know
Rugby Sevens captains at Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Getty Images)
Paris 2024 will see 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams compete in Rugby Sevens for gold. The men’s tournament begins on Wednesday 24th July with the medals being decided on Saturday 27th July. The women’s event takes place from Sunday 28th July through to Tuesday 30th July.
Below are guides on how to watch all the events live:
- How to watch the men’s Olympics rugby sevens
- How to watch all the Olympic rugby sevens live and for free
The event will take place in the Stade de France, host to last year’s men’s Rugby World Cup final.
Both competitions will see have three pools of four teams compete to enter the knockout phase. There will then be a quarter final, semis, final and third-place bronze medal play-off.
The first men’s game will be Australia vs Samoa at 14:30 BST on Wednesday 24th while the women’s competition begins with Ireland vs Team GB at 14:30 BST on Sunday 28th.
The men’s bronze medal match takes place at 18:00 BST on Saturday 27th July, followed by the gold medal match at 18:45 BST – the first medals to be awarded at Paris 2024. The women’s medals matches will then take place at the same time on Tuesday 30th July.
Rugby at the Paris 2024 Olympics: Teams
There will be 12 nations taking part in both the men’s and women’s competition. France are among the favourites for the men’s title thanks to the inclusion of 15s star Antoine Dupont. Australia and New Zealand will be joint-favourites for women’s gold.
Related: Seven players to watch at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games rugby sevens
Team GB will compete in the women’s event but are missing from the men’s competition due to losing to South Africa in last month’s repechage.
Paris 2024 Olympic Games rugby sevens men’s teams:
- Argentina
- Australia
- Fiji
- France
- Ireland
- Japan
- Kenya
- New Zealand
- Samoa
- South Africa
- United States
- Uruguay
Paris 2024 Olympic Games rugby sevens women’s teams:
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- Fiji
- Team GB
- Ireland
- Japan
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- United States
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