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Women\u2019s rugby sevens will take centre stage at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 from 29-31 July as the final squads have been confirmed ahead of three days of intense competition in Tokyo Stadium, which will conclude with the gold medal final on \u2018Super Saturday\u2019.<\/p>\n
View Tournament Preview:<\/strong> https:\/\/bit.ly\/3jccoMb<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The 12 teams have been allocated to three pools of four teams, according to rankings based upon performances in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and other World Rugby sanctioned tournaments over the past two years.<\/p>\n View Match Schedule:\u00a0https:\/\/bit.ly\/3f58y6a<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n There are many exciting encounters for fans around the globe to look forward to as rugby sevens makes its second appearance at the Olympic Games following an outstanding debut in Rio, which attracted an estimated 30 million new fans to the sport.<\/p>\n View Pools: https:\/\/bit.ly\/3x9DJDm<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Host nation support will be focused on Pool C where Japan are grouped with Rio 2016 Olympic champions Australia, alongside a powerful USA team, who qualified directly for Tokyo after finishing runners-up in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 and reached the medal podium in five of the six rounds. The pool is completed by Olympic debutants China, who secured their place in Tokyo with an emphatic 33-0 victory over Hong Kong in the Asian qualifier final.<\/p>\n Pool B is the only pool without an Olympic debutant as Rio 2016 bronze medallists Canada are joined by France, Fiji and Brazil. France were in fine form as they swept all before them to qualify for Tokyo via the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco last month. Brazil qualified for Tokyo thanks to a 28-15 victory over Colombia in the South American qualifier, while Rio 2016 quarter-finalists Fiji overcame Papua New Guinea to qualify from Oceania.<\/p>\n In Pool A, current Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Series title holders New Zealand will face the Russian Olympic Committee team, Great Britain and Kenya.\u00a0New Zealand beat both Kenya and Great Britain on the way to claiming the silver medal at Rio 2016, while Russia ended the Black Fern\u2019s record-equalling 37-match winning run on the Series with a 17-17 draw in Kitakyushu in April 2019. The Russian Olympic Committee team secured their Olympic debut via last month\u2019s Repechage.<\/p>\n View Olympic Qualification Graphic:\u00a0https:\/\/bit.ly\/3ygoqdK<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The top four placed teams in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 qualified directly for Tokyo while Japan were awarded their place as host nation. The remaining seven teams qualified via regional tournaments and the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco.<\/p>\n View Women\u2019s Squads:\u00a0https:\/\/bit.ly\/3l4eEaH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: \u201cFollowing a fantastic debut Olympic Games in Rio five years ago, we are looking forward to another spectacular showcase of the best of women\u2019s rugby sevens in front of a huge global TV audience over the next three days in Tokyo, culminating in the medal matches on \u2018Super Saturday\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only are the players exceptional, world class athletes, they are incredible role models both on and off the pitch, combining rugby\u2019s core values of respect, integrity and teamwork, with the strength, speed, skill and flair that makes rugby sevens such an exciting fast-paced and action-packed sport to watch.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen\u2019s rugby is going from strength to strength, with more than 2.7 million women and girls currently playing globally, making up a quarter of the world\u2019s playing population and we have ambitious plans to further advance women in rugby at all levels.<\/p>\n \u201cAccelerating the development of the women\u2019s game is a key strategic objective for World Rugby and the recently launched \u2018Team Powered\u2019 campaign is designed to boost the sport\u2019s growth, inspiring a new generation of players and fans to get involved in the ultimate team sport.<\/p>\n \u201cI am sure the next three days of Olympic competition will provide another great leap forward for the global growth of women\u2019s rugby and we are very happy to play our full and exciting part in the most gender equal Games in history.\u201d<\/p>\n New Zealand Coach Allan Bunting said: \u201cThe way that I see it is that everyone starts level. What\u2019s happened in the past has been the past and it\u2019s who steps out on the field and makes the most of those 14 minutes each game. It\u2019s an Olympic sport so you\u2019re got to be ready for the best against each team.\u201d<\/p>\n USA Women\u2019s Coach Chris Brown said: \u201cOur experience at the Olympics has been brilliant so far. The atmosphere in the village is one of a kind. We\u2019ve had a sevens style week of training in the sense that we’ve been excellent at times and have had some other moments where we’ve had to find a way to get back on track.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest challenge for us will be finding a way to allow ourselves to be free in the moment. That’s the key to playing at our absolute best. When we stop trying to control the what ifs and focus on being present and loving the emotional roller coaster of the game, the result follows suit.<\/p>\n Great Britain women\u2019s co-captain Meg Jones said: \u201cWe\u2019ve spent the last week refining the final details and we\u2019re really looking forward to the competition kicking off. The biggest thing for us will be stepping onto the pitch after the year that we\u2019ve all had and we\u2019re just so excited. We\u2019ve got huge aspirations for this group, we really want to be contenders and we\u2019ve got a lot of belief in ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Great Britain women\u2019s co-captain Abbie Brown: \u201cWe\u2019re feeling well prepared and we\u2019re dreaming big for this tournament. We have our sights set on that gold medal, but alongside that, we\u2019re hoping that we can inspire and carve the path for future sevens players which is something that we\u2019re very passionate about as a group.\u201d<\/p>\n Canada Women\u2019s Captain Ghislaine Landry said: \u201cThe opportunity to go to another Olympic Games with this team is very exciting. For the last five years, we’ve been training hard and hunting down podium finishes. I\u2019m proud of our team and I know we are heading into the Games with a ton of talent and huge potential.\u00a0We can\u2019t wait to show Canada, and the world, how fast and exciting rugby sevens is.\u201d<\/p>\n To ensure teams are as best prepared as possible to perform on the greatest sporting stage of all, World Rugby has invested US$4 million into Olympic qualified unions\u2019 sevens programmes and towards the costs of hosting a number of high-performance pre-Olympic preparation events.<\/p>\n Rugby sevens\u2019 first appearance at Rio 2016 had a profound, game-changing effect, attracting an estimated 30 million new fans globally. The dynamic, action-packed nature of rugby sevens has captured the attention of fans around the world, with research showing women and the 18-24 age group were the most strongly supportive of sevens\u2019 fit with the Olympics.<\/p>\n In a sign of the respect shown towards rugby\u2019s values, and a reflection of how well sevens was received on its Games debut in Rio, four players from different countries were awarded the honour of carrying the flag for their country at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, including women\u2019s players Sarah Hirini (New Zealand) and Rusila Nagasau (Fiji).<\/p>\n Women\u2019s rugby is experiencing unprecedented growth in recent years \u2013 more than 2.7 million women and girls are currently playing globally, making up a quarter of the world\u2019s playing population. Latest Nielsen Research for World Rugby has reported women\u2019s rugby is on the rise with interest in established markets up to 45 per cent and in emerging markets to 27 per cent, a 15 and 22 per cent increase since 2018, respectively.<\/p>\n World Rugby recently launched the \u2018Team Powered\u2019 Women in Rugby marketing campaign, which aims to inspire more women and girls to play and watch the sport. For more information visit\u00a0www.Women.Rugby<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n