7's gets the nod for 2016 Olympics

wicklowdub

International 7's has been given the go ahead to participation along with golf in the 2016 games in Rio more here

Macsimus

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have to compete under Team Great Britain.

And any of the lads from the north who want to play for Ireland will have to play for a Republic team.

B0X

Macsimus wrote: »

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have to compete under Team Great Britain.

And any of the lads from the north who want to play for Ireland will have to play for a Republic team.

Thats a bit crap now isn't it? I can see the logic in why they'd do it this way but it's still unfortunate.

toomevara

Macsimus wrote: »

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have to compete under Team Great Britain.

And any of the lads from the north who want to play for Ireland will have to play for a Republic team.

Thats going to put the cat among the pigeons. Will the IRFU permit it? Bizarre.

Macsimus

B0X wrote: »

Thats a bit crap now isn't it? I can see the logic in why they'd do it this way but it's still unfortunate.

I'm sure Ireland's Call will feature, but still, it is very controversial...

davyjose

TBH, I think it's ridiculous that a side-show version of Rugby is the game of choice.

Bit harsh maybe, but Rugby is about 1,000 times a more popular/better game, so why not that?

ScrubsfanChris

davyjose wrote: »

TBH, I think it's ridiculous that a side-show version of Rugby is the game of choice.

Bit harsh maybe, but Rugby is about 1,000 times a more popular/better game, so why not that?

Because if you are really good at 15 man rugby then you are probably getting paid to play which means you are semi or fully professional, ergo you can't compete in the Olympics.

Although you might make a case for sending an ameture club international team, but which is kind of pointless.

profitius

Its a great day for 15 man game too. With many countries now going to concentrate more on rugby and funding it, it will help the sport grow in non traditional areas. Of course we won't see the benefits for probably 10+ years but there will be benefits.

Malmedicine

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Because if you are really good at 15 man rugby then you are probably getting paid to play which means you are semi or fully professional, ergo you can't compete in the Olympics.

Although you might make a case for sending an ameture club international team, but which is kind of pointless.

Basketball? Soccer, Tennis ? Thought the olympics ditched the amatuer team sports rule

Macsimus

profitius wrote: »

Its a great day for 15 man game too. With many countries now going to concentrate more on rugby and funding it, it will help the sport grow in non traditional areas. Of course we won't see the benefits for probably 10+ years but there will be benefits.

+1

makes sense to include 7's, more countries could put together a competitive outfit. Wonder if the IRFU will draft in any of the top union players?

Kalashnikov_Kid

Since when did the IRFU actually care about 7's?!?

Macsimus

Kalashnikov_Kid wrote: »

Since when did the IRFU actually care about 7's?!?

Since it's been accepted into the Olympics - wouldn't be surprised to see them put together a very strong squad.

AlphaMale 3OO

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Because if you are really good at 15 man rugby then you are probably getting paid to play which means you are semi or fully professional, ergo you can't compete in the Olympics.

Although you might make a case for sending an ameture club international team, but which is kind of pointless.

The Olympic games isn't amateur. Other than boxing. Bolt? Messi?

thebaz

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Although you might make a case for sending an ameture club international team, but which is kind of pointless.

I think that would have been a great idea , a serious world competition for Amateur rugby , since professionalism , top amateur rugby needs something - and I thought the ethos of the olympics was amateurism

Pisco Sour

The Olympic are NOT amateur. Sonia O'Sullivan was not an amateur, nor is Usain Bolt etc. They compete in the GOLDEN LEAGUE with a chance of sharing a 1 Million Jackpot. Yes some sports in the Olympics are amateur (Rowing, Boxing) but the Olympic Games as a whole are no longer amateur and it amazes me that some people still think it is.

7's is by far a better choice than 15's. Ireland, GB, France, Italy, NZ, Aus, SA, Argentina, Kenya, Portugal, Fiji, Samoa, USA will all be able to challenge for medals. The same cant be said about 15's!

Podge_irl

There is no way they could fit a XVs tournament into the Olympic timeframe, so its a pointless discussion. 7s is the obvious compromise, and is a more attractive proposition anyway as its more globally competitive.

There is only going to be 12 teams in the competition of course, so there is no guarantee Ireland will even have the opportunity to field a team...

sock puppet

04072511 wrote: »

The Olympic are NOT amateur. Sonia O'Sullivan was not an amateur, nor is Usain Bolt etc. They compete in the GOLDEN LEAGUE with a chance of sharing a 1 Million Jackpot. Yes some sports in the Olympics are amateur (Rowing, Boxing) but the Olympic Games as a whole are no longer amateur and it amazes me that some people still think it is.

7's is by far a better choice than 15's. Ireland, GB, France, Italy, NZ, Aus, SA, Argentina, Kenya, Portugal, Fiji, Samoa, USA will all be able to challenge for medals. The same cant be said about 15's!

I'd say most sports are a mix between professional and amateur athletes. Probably depends on how you define amateur though.

I agree. 7's is a better spectacle (for newcomers), shorter, more competitive, and tournaments are over within a few days. Even if a 15 man tournament had something like only 5 games it would still have to be spread out over 3 to 4 weeks to give players time to recover.

Macsimus

Podge_irl wrote: »

There is only going to be 12 teams in the competition of course, so there is no guarantee Ireland will even have the opportunity to field a team...

How are they going to decide who qualifies? Qualifying Groups?

Podge_irl

Macsimus wrote: »

How are they going to decide who qualifies? Qualifying Groups?

I have no idea. How does the qualifying for things like Olympics soccer work?

Pisco Sour

Macsimus wrote: »

How are they going to decide who qualifies? Qualifying Groups?

How else would you decide who plays at a major international tournament? The drawing of lots?:rolleyes:

However they decide who qualifies for the 7's world cup is how they will probably do it for the Olympics.

Pisco Sour

sock puppet wrote: »

I'd say most sports are a mix between professional and amateur athletes. Probably depends on how you define amateur though.

Very few sports would be amateur in the true sense. Anybody who gets funding off a government or Olympic Council is essentially getting paid and so is not an amateur.

sock puppet

04072511 wrote: »

Very few sports would be amateur in the true sense. Anybody who gets funding off a government or Olympic Council is essentially getting paid and so is not an amateur.

True but even in the old days successful olympians would be rewarded with jobs, promotions and time off to train etc. so it's never been truely amateur. The main reason I'm happy to see 7's in the Olympics is because it becomes the pinnacle of the game. In this way it's more deserving than soccer, tennis etc as an Olympic gold medal is nowhere near as important as a grand slam/world cup.

Macsimus

Podge_irl wrote: »

I have no idea. How does the qualifying for things like Olympics soccer work?

in soccer each continents confederation holds an U-23 tournament..

Macsimus

04072511 wrote: »

How else would you decide who plays at a major international tournament? The drawing of lots?:rolleyes:

However they decide who qualifies for the 7's world cup is how they will probably do it for the Olympics.

20 teams qualify for the world cup, not 12, so you'd imagine it would be harder to qualify. But with ENG, Scot & Wales all as one team that that does cut down on top nations in europe vying for places

Pisco Sour

Macsimus wrote: »

20 teams qualify for the world cup, not 12, so you'd imagine it would be harder to qualify. But with ENG, Scot & Wales all as one team that that does cut down on top nations in europe vying for places

Yeh, they will probably use the World 7's Series from the year beforehand as Olympic Qualification. The best 11 in the standings and the host nation to qualify.

Goodluck2me

04072511 wrote: »

Yeh, they will probably use the World 7's Series from the year beforehand as Olympic Qualification. The best 11 in the standings and the host nation to qualify.

Brazil rugby team? lol

anonymous_joe

Goodluck2me wrote: »

Brazil rugby team? lol

They're third strongest in South America behind Argentina and Uruguay.

Most of the big Brazilian football teams are actually general sports clubs, and the older (and usually the posher ones) have rugby teams as well. The likes of Fluminense, Palmeiras, etc, would all have rugby teams, though made up of shíte amateurs.

twinytwo

Macsimus wrote: »

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have to compete under Team Great Britain.

And any of the lads from the north who want to play for Ireland will have to play for a Republic team.

thats complete cock though.. depending on who is allowed play that give the brits a chocie of the best from 4 countries.. and england wales and scotand usually have decent 7's players. advantage brits?

andrewdcs

This is great news brilliant for the whole game.

As far as the Olympics are concerned, there is no England, only a Great Britain. It could be just the England 7s team if the home unions don't get agreement on players / training etc. like in football. Rugby being far more cross border than football there'll be an inclusive team I'd imagine. It's all passport based, players from the North without Irish Republic passports would be barred from competing on any Irish team. No problem obtaining one if you want one though AFAIK (has this changes since Nice?)

I'd imagine qualification will be on IRB 7s pool standings, based on existing formula and I'm sure the IRB fraternity would give "Team GB" the nod in respect of any England Scotland Wales individual. Could be a case of Ireland 7s qualifying and having their players "cup tied" by Olympic rules, think that happened to our cycling team back in Barcelona, lost a few riders due to passport problems? Can't remember. Must wiki.

spear thrower

This is super news now have a reason to watch the olympics.. How good/bad are we at 7s???

Pisco Sour

twinytwo wrote: »

thats complete cock though.. depending on who is allowed play that give the brits a chocie of the best from 4 countries.. and england wales and scotand usually have decent 7's players. advantage brits?

Well they are all the one country so why shouldnt they!

The Rooster

andrewdcs wrote: »

It's all passport based, players from the North without Irish Republic passports would be barred from competing on any Irish team. No problem obtaining one if you want one though AFAIK (has this changes since Nice?)

Not correct regarding the Olympics. There's a special rule agreed between the Irish, British and the OCI. Every athlete from Northern Ireland can choose whether they want to represent Ireland or GB - regardless of passport.

In golf, Rory McIlroy for example has said he will choose GB.
Given the way rugby is organised here, its highly likely that all northern Irish players will pick Ireland. In the same way all boxers choose Ireland, because amateur boxing is run on an all island basis.

If we send a full strength squad (and I hope we do), there'll be some fun in picking it!

twinytwo

04072511 wrote: »

Well they are all the one country so why shouldnt they!

so they each have their own rugby teams for the laught then?... why should it be different for the games

twinytwo

spear thrower wrote: »

This is super news now have a reason to watch the olympics.. How good/bad are we at 7s???

we would have a decent enough side if the irfu didnt treat it as a micky mouse game

OldJay

twinytwo wrote: »

so they each have their own rugby teams for the laught then?... why should it be different for the games

Do you think NZ should field a NZ side and a Maori side?

anonymous_joe

twinytwo wrote: »

we would have a decent enough side if the irfu didnt treat it as a micky mouse game

Dunno really. We'd never use our top players, so who'd slide in?

I think the likes of Gary Brown and Carney were (good) 7s players last season. And Felix Jones wasn't he?