Has rugby ever been a demonstration sport or a actual sport in the Olympics?

Question

Has rugby ever been a demonstration sport or a actual sport in the Olympics?

Answer 1

yep

Answer 2

yes

Answer 3

Yes. Rugby was played at four Olympics in 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924. Believe it or not, the US team won the gold medals in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics. The French won the 1900 gold medal and an Australasian team containing Australian and New Zealand teams.

The program was dropped because the IOC wanted to emphasise individual sports, attempts to cut back numbers and crowd behaviour. There have been attempts to reintroduce it since but this have been unsuccessful. Rugby sevens is now played at the Commonwealth games which is a precedent.

Wheelchair rugby is an official Paralympic sport having been played as a demonstration sport in Atlanta and full sport in Sydney and Athens. New Zealand are the current champions with the US having won gold at the previous two Paralympics.