Rugby 15 hard to feature in Olympic Games says Jacques Rogge - Rugby News
The president of International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, has commented on the requests to include rugby 15 in the Olympic Games. The president, who is in New Zealand to watch the grand final of Rugby World Cup 2011, between hosts All Blacks and France,
told the media on October 21, that length of the game is a big obstacle in its way to be featured in the largest event of the world. However, Jacques reiterated his stance that rugby sevens would the part games holding in 2016.
Rugby has remained part of Olympics Games for at least 24-years from the premier event held in Paris France, in 1900 to 1924 but afterwards the sport was excluded to from the list. Rugby will mark its presence in the global event after passage of almost
one century in a revised form. Rugby Sevens is getting very popular now days for its preciseness and time saving nature.
Talking about the extraordinary length of rugby 15, the president of International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge, said that it requires greater period of time to complete the various stages which Olympic Game can not handle. He added that each team will
be required to play three to four matches in short time of two weeks and that is not possible at the moment.
Rogge further argued that, “At the moment it just doesn't seem feasible. We can't ask a team to play four or five games in 16 days. That is just not feasible. I think that will come in time," he said. "I'm sure that eventually big international players will
be tempted to go to the Olympics as sevens players.”
Whereas defending the decision to include rugby sevens in the program, he said that, “It is an honour to have rugby sevens featuring at the Olympic Games. Sevens is so important for the growth of our game. Rugby is now played in places where there was never
rugby before, like Russia and China.”
Rugby sevens has become a world wide popular sport and Hong Kong has been organizing successful events in this regard. Although it is disappointing for the rugby 15 lovers, it will be good to see rugby back on track in the Olympic Games of 2016.
Tags: