Rugby to go faster, higher, stronger
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:27
Rugby Union will be one of seven sports that will be striving to be included on the list of Olympic sports in the 2016 Olympic Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will in future be debating the merits of which new sporting codes to include in eight years' time, and rugby will have to compete with sports such as golf, karate, squash, softball, baseball and rollersports for a place in the Games.
However, rugby is thought to be a very likely recipient of an Olympic spot, especially considering the popularity and the structure of the Sevens format of the game.
The IOC are keen to attract more young viewers to its worldwide audience, and desperately needs to modernise its itinerary in order to do so.
However, the problem facing the IOC with some sports, such as golf or baseball, will be whether the top athletes and sportsmen from those codes can be persuaded to take part in what is essentially still an amateur event.
However, the 2008 Beijing Olympics has drawn a top field in its tennis events, with both the men and the women's events well represented by top-ranking players.
New men's world number one Rafael Nadal has already added the gold medal to his collection of professional titles, and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, have just won yet more gold medals in the women's doubles.
"I think (Spanish golfer) Sergio Garcia will have noticed the tear in Rafael Nadal's eye at the tennis medals ceremony the other day," International Golf Federation's Head of Programme Ty Votaw told Reuters.
"I think the players will support golf for 2016."
The IOC will be making a decision on the inclusion of new sporting codes in Copenhagen during October 2009, as the Olympic Committee generally draw up their Olympic tournament programme seven years in advance.
