(SOURCE) The Olympic Rugby Sevens qualifications have been officially announced today. To qualify for the Olympics, teams must either place in the Top 4 in the 2014/2015 IRB Sevens World Series, win their 2015 IRB Regional Associations Sevens Championships, or win out in a Final Olympic Qualifications Tournament. Brazil’s Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens will have automatic qualification into the tournament, as host country.
The Olympic Rugby Sevens tournament will consist of 12 teams. The initial four entrants will result from the IRB Rugby Sevens World Series in 2014/2015. Those four and Brazil will each have an automatic entrance into the tournament. Followed by that, there will be a 2015 IRB Regional Association Sevens Championship. One team from each region (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Caribbean, Oceania, and South America) which will qualify six more teams. The remaining spot will be given to the winner of a Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. This Final Qualification Tournament will consist of 3 teams from Africa, 3 teams from Asia, 4 teams from Europe, 2 teams from North America and the Caribbean, 2 teams from Oceania, and 2 teams from South America.
The next two years will be huge for the Rugby Sevens world. Now that there is a defined pathway to the Olympics, high likely fringe teams will have to be more aware of who they place on their roster. USA Sevens Men’s and women’s teams will have their task set for them to qualify. They will need to either place in the Top 4, defeat Canada, or beat the best of the remaining.
For more information about the qualification process CLICK HERE