After 92 Years, Rugby Returns to Olympic Programme at Nanjing

Rugby will make its return to the Olympic programme after 92 years at the second Youth Olympic Games scheduled to open in Nanjing on Saturday in the form of rugby sevens ahead of its reappearance at the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro in 2016.

In 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members voted to readmit the sport to the Olympic programme. The sport was last played at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games.

At Nanjing, 144 young players will participate in the six men's and women's teams in the rugby competition, reports Xinhua.

Argentina, Fiji, France, Japan, Kenya and the US will vie for gold in the men's competition; while Australia, Canada, China, Spain, Tunisia and the US will compete for top honours in the women's event.

The International Rugby Board (IRB confirmed the teams that will participate at the Nanjing Games. The teams that will be in Nanjing made the cut following a qualification process based on the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 rankings.

“The sevens game is both exciting and fun, easy to watch and understand and will be a great attraction at the Olympic Games,” Jean de Villiers of South Africa, Rugby World Cup winner in 2007, told the IRB website.