NO OLYMPIC DREAM FOR RUGBY SEVENS
------------------------------------------------------Scottish Rugby is this afternoon disappointed to hear that sevens has been rejected by the International Olympic Committee and will therefore not be included in the Olympic programme for the 2012 Games in London.

Rugby fans in Scotland and across the globe had hoped that rugby’s bid for inclusion would beat squash, karate, roller skating and golf following the news earlier today that baseball and softball had been binned.

However a meeting of the IOC in Singapore today confirmed that none of the sports had been given the green light.

Scottish Rugby’s interim Chief Executive Fred McLeod said: “Naturally, we are very disappointed that rugby sevens has not been included in the Olympic programme for the Games in 2012. We have placed great emphasis on success at sevens level and this has come as a blow.

“We would like to thank the IRB for lobbying so hard for the inclusion of sevens in the Olympics and we share in their commiserations,” he added.

The IOC had axed softball and baseball from the Olympic programme and it was thought that another two sports from the shortlist of five (rugby sevens, squash, golf, karate and roller sports) would replace them.

However, after a series of seven rounds of voting to narrow the five down to two – squash and karate – those two were put to the vote to see whether they would be awarded Olympic status. The IOC then rejected squash and karate’s bids to become part of the Olympic programme.

Softball and baseball, which are the first sports to be dropped from the Olympic rota since polo in 1936, will remain on the list of Olympic sports but will not be part of the programme for the 2012 games in London.


note from Ed
The last time rugby featured in the Olympic programme was at the 1924 Games in Paris made famous by Eric Liddell and mainly organised by Racing Club of France who Hawks played last season .
USA beat host nation France ad fighting broke out in the stands

This article was posted on 9-Jul-2005, 12:12 by Hugh Barrow.