|
Olympic Hopes Boost Interest in USA Sevens
IRB Sevens Series May Offer Preview of 2012 Games
Boulder, Colorado,
December 8, 2004 -- USA Rugby is seeing signs that Olympic hopes
are boosting interest in USA Sevens, the largest international rugby event
in the Western Hemisphere.
The International
Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced that rugby is on a short-list
of five sports being considered for inclusion in the 2012 Olympic Games.
The news focuses an international spotlight on USA Sevens, which brings
16 of the best national rugby teams to Los Angeles for a two-day tournament
the weekend of February 12-13, and ticket sales are running ahead of last
year.
"Rugby's Olympic prospects are adding fuel to the groundswell of
interest in rugby that we've observed over the last year, especially among
American teens and young adults," said USA Rugby CEO Doug Arnot.
"That USA Sevens may be an Olympic preview is attention-grabbing
for both rugby aficionados as well as newcomers to the sport."
In November, the International Rugby Board (IRB) delivered its final submission
to the IOC, which is expected to announce its decision in July 2005. The
full version of the game, played with 15 players on each side, was a part
of four Olympic Games between 1900 and 1924, with the USA capturing the
1920 and 1924 gold medals. In the modern era, the IOC is evaluating rugby's
abbreviated "seven-a-side" version, which is comparable to full-court,
three-on-three basketball because of its fast open-field play, extreme
fitness demands, and dramatic tackles.
According to IRB Sevens manager Mark Egan, rugby's case fits all of the
IOC criteria for inclusion: number of participating nations, which now
tops 100, number of individuals who play, crowd numbers, sponsorship potential,
broadcasting interest, infrastructure and media.
"Rugby has everything going for it according to the numbers, but
the excitement and spectacle of sevens rugby is what sets it apart,"
said Egan. "Many IOC members will get to experience the exhilaration
of rugby as spectators at USA Sevens and other IRB Sevens series tournaments."
When USA Sevens competition begins, the US national team, the Eagles,
will face rugby powerhouses like defending Sevens World Champions New
Zealand, England, Fiji, South Africa and Australia. Other teams expected
to participate include Argentina, Canada, France, Kenya, Mexico, Samoa,
Scotland, Tonga, Uruguay and West Indies. One of the attractions of sevens
is that 'emerging nations' can be, and often are, competitive with more
established rugby nations. In the recent past, Kenya beat Australia in
sevens, England lost to the US and New Zealand was upset by Argentina
and France.
Tickets for
the IRB Sevens series at The Home Depot Center on February 12-13, 2005
are now available through Ticketmaster's Charge-By-Phone network at (213)
480-3232, at all Ticketmaster retail ticket center locations and online
at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at the Home Depot
Center Box office by calling (866) 524-7687. Ticketing and general event
information can be found online at www.usasevens.com.
About USA
Rugby
USA
RUGBY, founded in 1975, is the national governing body for rugby and is
a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International
Rugby Board (IRB). The organization is responsible for the development
of youth, high school, collegiate and club athletic programs and ultimately,
the Eagles, the national teams representing the United States in international
competition. Rugby is the second most actively played team sport in the
world and is growing rapidly in the United States, especially among teens
and young adults.
|
