Olympics: Rugby’s spirit perfect for games, says IRB

LONDON - A wholesome sport accessible to all nations with Olympic values at its heart, rugby would be an asset to the Olympic Games, according to the sport's international governing body. 

In its Sevens format, rugby could be admitted to the Olympic programme for the 2012 Games at a vote of International Olympic Committee members in July.

IRB director Chris Rea said the sport and the Games would make a perfect fit. 

"We embrace the same values and ideals as the Olympic movement and I think there is an increasing awareness of the traditional values of rugby," the former Scotland international said.  

"The respect for your fellow athletes, the discipline, the sportsmanship...all these things are essential if rugby is to survive and they are essential if you are to survive on the rugby field because you rely so much on all these qualities in the people that you play with for your own safety apart from anything else. 

"We haven't been nakedly aggressive in our lobbying. We have always been confident that Rugby Sevens would be the perfect fit for the Olympics and there is an element of confidence with us that whilst the Olympics would be absolutely brilliant for us, we would be pretty good for the Olympics."  

Along with the governing bodies of golf, squash, karate and roller sports, the IRB has submitted a questionnaire requested by the International Olympic Committee and can now only wait and see which way July's vote goes.  

To stand any chance of admission, at least one of the 28 Summer Olympic sports must first fail to win a majority of support from IOC members and be dropped from the 2012 programme. 

"It is a shame one of the existing sports would have to be dropped for us to get in and it certainly makes it harder for us," Rea said. 

"But we believe we have the right credentials. So much of our sport dovetails perfectly with the Olympic movement and their beliefs and we have worked hard on the elements that did not dovetail so well."  

Interest was growing worldwide. "The crowds that are turning up for Rugby World Cup qualifying in Africa -- 15-a-side -- are absolutely staggering," he said.  

"Senegal are playing Zambia at the end of this month and there will be a crowd of between 20,000 and 30,000 there for that.  

"We have always been confident that Sevens would be a perfect fit for the Olympic Games. The wonderful thing about it is its ability to embrace smaller nations and allow them to match the best."  

The IRB earlier this year launched a television magazine programme to promote the sport globally and already claims an audience reach of more than 87 million viewers in over 30 countries.  

- REUTERS