Rugby sevens hoping World Cup boosts Olympic chances

LONDON (AP) -- The fast-paced sport of rugby sevens is hoping its fifth World Cup tournament will boost its image and help the truncated form of the game get into the Olympics.

The sport of cricket has been rejuvenated by the introduction of the much shorter Twenty20 game, and there are hopes for something similar from sevens. The difference being that, while Twenty20 is new, sevens is more than 100 years old.

The chairman of world rugby's ruling body made a presentation ahead of Thursday's opening Rugby World Cup Sevens matches in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to again outline the sport's ambition of Olympic inclusion.

Sevens is vying with golf, baseball, softball, squash, karate and roller sports for inclusion in the 2016 Summer Games, and supporters say it would be a perfect fit, hoping that the subsequent exposure and resources help establish it in largely untouched markets such as the United States.

The seven sports are competing for two available openings on the 2016 program. The decision will be made at the International Olympic Committee session in Copenhagen in October.

Tim Lacey played both the full 15-man and sevens versions of rugby before an injury to his left knee ended his career prematurely in 1998.

The founder of a Web site dedicated to promoting sevens, Lacey said matches that normally last 15 minutes and have regular scoring make for an exciting sport ripe for expansion.

"It fits media consumption trends," Lacey said. "People's attention spans are getting shorter. The entertainment options are even greater."

That's because fans can sit down in a stadium and watch several short, high-scoring matches one after another, just like at the Sevens World Series, which takes place in eight locations around the world.

With fewer than half the number of players on the same size field for regular rugby, there is less emphasis on physical power. That reduces the amount of recovery time needed between games and allows players to take part in more than one match a day.

Players need so much recovery time following the tough 80-minute matches in 15-man rugby that its World Cup takes seven weeks to complete. The 24-team sevens equivalent in Dubai runs for just three days, exactly the sort of timeframe that supporters say would allow a competition to be held at an Olympic Stadium between the opening ceremony and the start of athletics.

"I'm a big believer that they are two different sports," said Lacey, the chief executive of the Ultimate Rugby Sevens site. "If you go to a 15-a-side match and a sevens match, the image and atmosphere are entirely different.

"One is a winter sport and sevens is essentially a summer sport. There's a very different brand to market separately, although of course there is huge crossover."

The Rugby World Cup Sevens, which includes a women's tournament alongside the men's, is being broadcast in 140 countries, including the United States, where Lacey believes the sport could become popular if given the extra exposure that would come from the Olympics.

"One area where I see massive growth potential for sevens is in the United States," said Lacey, a former investment banker who counts NBA commissioner David Stern as a mentor and acted as a consultant for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. "The national side will be able to compete at a higher level. The American market would lap it up because it is easier to understand and more exciting to watch.

"And there are so many athletes there, the sport can attract players from athletics and American football."

The United States lost its opening match to France 26-17, although such a narrow margin of defeat would be inconceivable in the full form of rugby. France, a two-time runner-up at the 15-man World Cup, would be expected to beat the U.S. by much more.

International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset met with IOC officials in Dubai, with former rugby players Jonah Lomu and Lawrence Dallaglio involved in the presentation.

"The IRB is committed to the ongoing growth of rugby around the world and is thrilled with such a strong turnout of world class athletes, a true testament to the growing reach of our sport," Lapasset said.

While inclusion in the Olympics would be a huge fillip, and one Lacey said could potentially help sevens attract the sort of private funding that launched Twenty20 cricket's Indian Premier League, it wouldn't necessarily end the sport's hopes of expansion.

"Without Olympic inclusion, it's still a sport with huge potential but it would probably be less a priority for the IRB," Lacey said.

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