Rugby 15 was briefly an Olympic sport. Since the 2016 Rio Games, rugby sevens has become Olympic. The French women’s national team also won a silver medal in Tokyo 2021.
Question of the day
On today’s day France – New Zealand at the opening of the Rugby World Cup, we wonder what is the history of rugby and the Olympic Games?
Answer by France Bleu Paris
To answer us, Thomas Etcheberry turned towards Alban Mogaelected to the French Rugby Federation, president of the national commission in charge of rugby 7: ” For rugby 15, it was fast. The last competition was in Paris in 1924. It came down to three teams: the United States, Romania and France. It went pretty bad. The United States of America defeated France in the final, but in a fierce match, extremely violent and insulting to the American public. We were far from the spirit of Olympism. »
” The Anglo-Saxons, the creators of rugby, the British and even those from the southern hemisphere did not want to participate in this competition. For them, rugby was a winter sport, it was not possible for them to play 15-a-side rugby in the summer “.
But then, how did rugby become olympic again? Alban Moga explain to us: “Thanks to the action of Bernard Lapasset, who at that time was the president of the International Committee, he managed to return rugby to the Olympic Games, but through another discipline, rugby 7s, much more accessible, where girls and boys could play equally, which also enabled the development of women’s rugby. The first games that hosted rugby sevens were those in Rio in 2016. »
And for Paris 2024. what are the chances of the french? Alban Moga forecast: ” Expectations are extremely high, as the French finished 4th at the last world circuit and the girls also finished 4th. So there is one final step that both teams must take to win a medal, and that is the set goal. » Let us remind you that the French won silver at the last Games in Tokyo, losing in the final against the New Zealanders. In the men’s category, the Fiji national team is a two-time Olympic winner.
In Paris in 2024. the men’s tournaments will take place from 24 to 27 July 2024 and for the women from 28 to 30 July 2024 at the Stade de France.
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