Rugby as Olimpic game

[Bull]

George Bush said we can't scrap womens beach volleyball, I agree

 

[Charles]

Okay, I stand corrected on the Field Hockey thing...But can we ditch like Rythmic Gymnastic before Handball ? France has got a lot of medals with handball and it's pretty fun to watch. Better than Horse riding anyway.

I wish they put Karate as well, way better than Judo if you ask me, looks like a drunk/women fight.

 

[Boggle]

Haha, so it's because you win lots of medals in the handball that you're so defensive eh ?

I don't care either way (handball can stay in the olympics for all I care, but things like equestrian and all that other random rubbish can take a hike), but your arguement was flawed and simply wrong from the start.

Rugby is the 3rd largest sport in the world, RWC 07 had 4.2 Billion individual TV viewers, that's -more- than the Athens 2004 Olympics had (3.9 Billion), making at the moment (probably untill Beijing is done) the second most viewed event behind the FIFA world cup.

like I said, I don't really care, but I'd like to see handball get those kinds of figures.

 

[Charles]

Yeah I didn't put the smileys in my last post. We have/had a lot of medals in Judo or cycling but I couldn't give a f*** so...

About the figures you gave, I'd like to see the Sevens WC reach them as well... :huh: :bleh!:

 

[Steve-o]

Haha, so it's because you win lots of medals in the handball that you're so defensive eh ?

I don't care either way (handball can stay in the olympics for all I care, but things like equestrian and all that other random rubbish can take a hike), but your arguement was flawed and simply wrong from the start.

Rugby is the 3rd largest sport in the world, RWC 07 had 4.2 Billion individual TV viewers, that's -more- than the Athens 2004 Olympics had (3.9 Billion), making at the moment (probably untill Beijing is done) the second most viewed event behind the FIFA world cup.

like I said, I don't really care, but I'd like to see handball get those kinds of figures.
[/b]

4.2 billion? Is that a combined total of all the matches?

 

[BLR]

What's the 2nd biggest sport in the world?

 

[Boggle]

What's the 2nd biggest sport in the world? [/b]

Woops, that came out wrong.
As far as I know Rugby is the 2nd biggest sport in the world, but as a -sporting event- the RWC is the 3rd largest, up untill the RWC 07 that is, when they got 4.2 Billion viewers (the Olympics is usually the second largest sporting event in the world after the FIFA world cup, and Beijing will probably pip the RWC 07 figures in a few weeks to take that back).

@ Steve-o, those are the same sort of numbers they use for all these big events, total individual TV viewers throughout the entire "event".

I got the figures from a IRB brochure they're using to try and promote 7s as an olympic sport actually (you can find it on the IRB website after poking around for a bit).

some other interesting facts.

Total Cumulative Television Audience (RWC)

1987 Australia/New Zealand 230m
1991 Britain/France/Ireland 1.4bn
1995 South Africa 2.3bn
1999 Wales 3.1bn
2003 Australia 3.4bn
2007 France 4.2bn


Total Attendance (RWC)

1987 Australia/New Zealand 0.6m
1991 Britain/France/Ireland 1m
1995 South Africa 1.1m
1999 Wales 1.7m
2003 Australia 1.9m
2007 France 2.24m

 

[stegellett]

i think some day it should be an olympic sport but just too little teams to compete for the medals i reckon, maybe 2016/20

 

[fcukernaut]

What's the 2nd biggest sport in the world? [/b]

Basketball.

 

[Boggle]

AHA ! I found it.

Rugby in the olympics

You can always count on good old Rugbydump.

 

[jawmalawm24]

AHA ! I found it.

Rugby in the olympics

You can always count on good old Rugbydump.
[/b]

Yeah I saw this the other day good advertising for Rugby I reckon and why can't they make it sooner than later to put Rugby back into the Olympics. They play Rugby 7's at the Commonwealth so why not the Olympics.

 

[vision]

Rugby 7s should definetly be an olympic sport, when considering basketball, football etc are on what basis would you prevent it?

on that note Is anyone aware what the criteria or selection process is for entry to the olympic games? sorry if this question has been answered previously,

 

[nakamura]

No 20/20 cricket, Rugby 7's or any other condensed version of a sport should be even considered at the olympics. A rugby fan would like to see Union at the olymipics but i am sceptical it would be a success. The gulfing class between the top 6 teams and the rest are to great that it gives international rugby a bad impression when the minowns are thrashed 90-0 to England or whoever. Expanding rugby cannot be done by putting it in the olympics, it would be damaging to for example Indian Rugby if it were thrown in a pool with the Wallabies. Introducing lower division national leagues for minowns would be more productive for international rugby than rugby at the olympics. Please prove me wrong!

 

[Bender]

"However, the International Olympic Committee turned down the bid for the purposes of the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. One IOC official from Switzerland, Dennis Oswald, dismissed the bid declaring: “When it comes to rugby, I am not a specialist, but people within the sport tell me that rugby sevens is something of a joke.†Oswald later confirmed that he had never in fact watched a game of sevens, or indeed, fifteens rugby. Although disappointed, the IRB responded by pointing out that in terms of the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger), a rugby player was more likely to possess all of these attributes than competitors within other debatable Olympic events, such as rhythmic gymnastics."

Lul, good reason..

 

[Cymro]

"However, the International Olympic Committee turned down the bid for the purposes of the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. One IOC official from Switzerland, Dennis Oswald, dismissed the bid declaring: "When it comes to rugby, I am not a specialist, but people within the sport tell me that rugby sevens is something of a joke." Oswald later confirmed that he had never in fact watched a game of sevens, or indeed, fifteens rugby. Although disappointed, the IRB responded by pointing out that in terms of the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger), a rugby player was more likely to possess all of these attributes than competitors within other debatable Olympic events, such as rhythmic gymnastics."

Lul, good reason.. [/b]

Quote the source please instead of taking a segment out of it!

The fact is that after the 2012 London Reps will be again meeting to get Rugby into the Olympics!

 

[Steve-o]

No 20/20 cricket, Rugby 7's or any other condensed version of a sport should be even considered at the olympics. A rugby fan would like to see Union at the olymipics but i am sceptical it would be a success. The gulfing class between the top 6 teams and the rest are to great that it gives international rugby a bad impression when the minowns are thrashed 90-0 to England or whoever. Expanding rugby cannot be done by putting it in the olympics, it would be damaging to for example Indian Rugby if it were thrown in a pool with the Wallabies. Introducing lower division national leagues for minowns would be more productive for international rugby than rugby at the olympics. Please prove me wrong!
[/b]

What about handball? Never seen it in my life till about 2 weeks ago. It pulls much small crowds than rugby and there are also only a few good teams.

 

[offspring_uk]

What about handball? Never seen it in my life till about 2 weeks ago. It pulls much small crowds than rugby and there are also only a few good teams.
[/b]

100% agree. Handball, softball, even sports like rowing. There are very few countries that play them, but they are all in the Olympics. I really think it is what the IOC commitee member like that makes up what sports are in there. What better way to spread union around the world than having it in the Olympics. Plus, it would give nations such as Fiji and Samoa a credible chance for a medal.

I think it should be the 15 man game though, I am not a huge fan of sevens. But maybe that is cos the best players in the world don't seem to play sevens. A chance of Olympic gold may change that!

 

[Boggle]

I think it should be the 15 man game though, I am not a huge fan of sevens. But maybe that is cos the best players in the world don't seem to play sevens. A chance of Olympic gold may change that! [/b]

ORLY ?

some of the best players in the world all started out as 7s superstars.

You also simply -cannot- run a 15 man tournament during the Olympics, it would be impossible.

 

[carlos]

i think some day it should be an olympic sport but just too little teams to compete for the medals i reckon, maybe 2016/20
[/b]

in fact there won't be some of the best nations as england, wales, ireland and scotland

 

[Thingimubob]

Rugby Sevens would be brilliant in the Olympics. I mean it's a Stadium filler, and a way to rack in the attendance money before the Athletics in the main stadium starts. It would be brilliant experience for both experienced test players and up and coming sevens stars, and would give the likes of Carter, Cipriani, Shane Williams, Giteau and Habana to mingle with the talented athletes of the other sports like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Rebecca Adlington an well as the teams of the football, hockey and tennis. What's even cooler is, since Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England wouldn't be represented seperatley, there'd have to be a 'British Lions Sevens team' which would be pretty damn cool!