Rugby and the Olympic movement
drive Rugbyand the Olympic Movement
New funding
Olympic inclusion would mean extra support for every level of Rugby
A showcase for Rugby
An Olympic Sevens tournament would attract new fans to Rugby
Growing the Game
Sevens – a global pathway to all forms of Rugby
“The Olympic campaign is a test of our ambition to grow Rugby” Bernard Lapasset, IRB Chairman
Another sell-out crowd at the IRB Sevens World Series, Hong Kong
“
I’m delighted to have this opportunity to present our compelling case for Rugby to be re-included in the Olympic Games. Rugby has come a long way in the 12 or more years of the professional era. Now, if we’re to keep driving forward, we must strive to broaden our reach. It is the same imperative facing every sport in today’s competitive global culture. Like other major sports Rugby needs a bigger presence in the emerging markets of the world. The Olympic campaign is a test of our ambition to grow Rugby. It will determine whether we are really ready to compete on a worldwide level.
Success would bring a new pinnacle for the discipline of Sevens. It would also deliver fantastic benefits for the Game at large. The Olympic Games would be a showcase for Rugby’s unique spirit. Our inclusion would inspire new audiences, unlock funding and generate new commercial opportunities. And it would act as a catalyst for global development at every level of our sport. Together, and for millions worldwide, Sevens and the Olympic Games could prove the gateway to the sport of Rugby.
”
Bernard Lapasset, IRB Chairman
A global opportunity The Olympic Games is the world’s biggest sporting and TV event.
The Melrose Sevens is born
1892
IOC founder Pierre de Coubertin referees the first French Rugby championship final
s s
1883
It also offers to accelerate the development work that’s already growing and strengthening the sport – both in emerging Rugby nations and in key new markets worldwide.
s
William Webb Ellis picks up the ball at Rugby School
The Olympic Games has the power to unlock funding and facilities for Rugby in all countries.
s
1823
s
s s
Timeline
It offers an unrivalled platform, reaching two-thirds of the world’s population and delivering unparalleled commercial leverage for those within the Olympic Family.
Athens 2004 attracted 3.9 billion individual TV viewers
Pierre de Coubertin was inducted into the
IRB Hall of Fame
in 2007
A sport with the Olympic Games at heart Rugby has a strong connection with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement; our stories have shared roots and values. In 1886 Pierre de Coubertin made a visit to Rugby School – the place where William Webb-Ellis was first inspired to pick up a ball and run.
Olympic hero – Frenchman Frantz Reichel in 1900
1920
The USA beats France at the Antwerp Games to take the gold medal
1924
The USA successfully defends its title at the Paris Games
s s
Australia wins the gold medal at the London Games
s
1908
s
Host France wins the first Olympic Rugby gold medal after beating Great Britain in the final
s
1900
Six years later, de Coubertin personally oversaw Rugby’s introduction to the Paris Games of 1900. Under de Coubertin’s guidance the sport featured again in 1908, 1920 and 1924.
That spirit still lives on in the sport of Rugby and in the International Olympic Committee: the body de Coubertin helped to establish in 1894.
s
s s
Timeline
De Coubertin gained part of his inspiration from the school’s educational ethos – a philosophy reflected in the sport to which it gave its name. A sport with a unique spirit.
France: Rugby gold medal winners in the 1900 Games
3 million
active players worldwide
Growth of Rugby World Cup 1987-2007 Total Cumulative Television Audience (RWC)
Total Attendance (RWC)
1987 Australia/New Zealand 230m
1987 Australia/New Zealand 0.6m
1991 Britain/France/Ireland 1.4bn
1991 Britain/France/Ireland 1m
1995 South Africa 2.3bn
1995 South Africa 1.1m
1999 Wales 3.1bn
1999 Wales 1.7m
2003 Australia 3.4bn
2003 Australia 1.9m
2007 France 4.2bn
2007 France 2.24m
A global success story
The 2007 tournament drew 2.2m spectators, four billion on TV, and was backed by millions in commercial sponsorship. Importantly these results were replicated
The Five Nations tournament resumes following the end of World War Two
at Rugby World Cup Sevens, which attracted full houses of 50,000 each day for three days in 2005, and will do the same in 2009, when there will be both a men’s and women’s tournament in Dubai. Olympic Games inclusion is the next logical step for Rugby.
1976
The first Hong Kong Sevens Tournament takes place
s s
1946
1995. Nowhere has this success been more in evidence than at Rugby World Cup.
s
The first Middlesex Sevens tournament takes place
It’s a vision that stresses Rugby’s unique ethos while embracing change and innovation – and has already delivered spectacular global growth since
s
1926
s
s s
Timeline
Inclusion in the Olympic Programme is a key element of the International Rugby Board’s vision for further development of the sport.
Fiji’s William Ryder and supporters celebrate winning the 2007 IRB Sevens World Series event in Adelaide
Sevens is the fastestgrowing form of Rugby – played by the quickest and fittest players.
In 2008, 32 national teams took part in the IRB Sevens World Series – the annual series that is played in eight different countries to sell-out crowds with a global TV reach of 500m.
Sevens has also proven a popular and straightforward addition to many Continental Games, including the Asian, World and Commonwealth Games. From 2011 Sevens will be in the Pan American Games and negotiations continue for a return to the All-Africa Games.
Sevens works much better than Fifteens in multi-sport event formats due to time constraints. It is used both as a player development pathway and a Game growth tool by many Unions around the world.
260,000
All of which benefits not only Sevens, but Fifteens and Rugby in general as well.
spectators attended the 2007
IRB Sevens World Series
Rugby World Cup is the pinnacle for Fifteens. Olympic inclusion would mean the Sevens ultimate stage would be the Olympic Games.
events
Why Sevens?
England beats Australia to lift the first Rugby World Cup Sevens title
1997
The second Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament takes place in Hong Kong with Fiji winning the title
s s
1993
s
The Melrose Sevens celebrates its centenary
s
1983
s
s s
Timeline
Rugby and the Olympic Games: a perfect match The world’s greatest sporting event would be a new pinnacle for Sevens – a showcase for a model professional sport with passionate travelling fans. The Olympic Games would deliver a new profile for Rugby. New audiences. New commercial opportunities.
Olympic status will provide new opportunities for emerging Unions that have so long promised to contend at the highest level.
New Zealand wins the third Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament held in Argentina
2005
Fiji reclaims its Rugby World Cup Sevens title in Hong Kong
s s
2001
s
The first IRB Sevens World Series kicks off in Dubai
And beyond them, the key investment markets of North America, Russia and Asia, for whom Sevens and the Olympic Games would be a gateway to Rugby at large.
s
1999
s
s s
Timeline
And, perhaps, new giants of the Game. Emboldened by the opportunity; strengthened by access to significant new funding that will flow into the Game.
Rugby in the Olympic Games would help to:
Reinforce the ideals of Olympism, thanks to Rugby’s long-standing ethos of fair play and friendship
l
l
each a new and young audience, including Rugby’s 3m players R in 115 countries and tens of millions of fans worldwide the Olympic Stadium in the first week of competition, adding an additional vibrant and youthful tone for the Games
l Fill
l Extend
the number of potential medal-winning nations, in what would be a true world championship funds to grow the Olympic Movement, by attracting new commercial partners and spectators
l Increase
Cert no. SA-COC-001794
Published by the INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BOARD, Huguenot House, 35-38 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, Ireland. Printed on FSC-certified paper. Produced for the IRB by Seven46. Pictures courtesy of Getty Images.
What happens next? In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to determine the Olympic Sports Programme for the 2016 Games. There are two vacant slots. If Rugby is to successfully claim
2011
The seventh Rugby World Cup takes place in New Zealand
Make sure you also take part in the IOC’s Virtual Olympic Congress, a public consultation running until December 31, 2008. For details, visit www.irb.com and click on Virtual Olympic Congress.
2016
s
The fifth Rugby World Cup Sevens takes place in Dubai
Talk to your National Olympic Committee and get in contact with your IOC Member. Tell them about our key messages which you can see opposite.
s
2009
s
s s
Timeline
one of them we must convince the IOC of the merits of Rugby as a global game with a unique ethos – and a passionate following. Everyone in Rugby – and in sport – needs to know how much, and why, we want to be part of the Olympic Games.
The 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games take place
Rugby’s participation in the Olympic Games will: l Act
as a catalyst and showcase for our sport’s global development
l
l
l
l
nlock significant new funding for U Rugby worldwide, at every level stablish Sevens as a global pathway to E all forms of Rugby raw new fans, sponsors and D broadcasters to Rugby ffer Rugby’s travelling supporters the O unique experience of the Olympic Games
New funding
Olympic inclusion would mean extra support for every level of Rugby
A showcase for Rugby
An Olympic Sevens tournament would attract new fans to Rugby
Growing the Game
Sevens – a global pathway to all forms of Rugby
“The Olympic campaign is a test of our ambition to grow Rugby” Bernard Lapasset, IRB Chairman
Another sell-out crowd at the IRB Sevens World Series, Hong Kong
“
I’m delighted to have this opportunity to present our compelling case for Rugby to be re-included in the Olympic Games. Rugby has come a long way in the 12 or more years of the professional era. Now, if we’re to keep driving forward, we must strive to broaden our reach. It is the same imperative facing every sport in today’s competitive global culture. Like other major sports Rugby needs a bigger presence in the emerging markets of the world. The Olympic campaign is a test of our ambition to grow Rugby. It will determine whether we are really ready to compete on a worldwide level.
Success would bring a new pinnacle for the discipline of Sevens. It would also deliver fantastic benefits for the Game at large. The Olympic Games would be a showcase for Rugby’s unique spirit. Our inclusion would inspire new audiences, unlock funding and generate new commercial opportunities. And it would act as a catalyst for global development at every level of our sport. Together, and for millions worldwide, Sevens and the Olympic Games could prove the gateway to the sport of Rugby.
”
Bernard Lapasset, IRB Chairman
A global opportunity The Olympic Games is the world’s biggest sporting and TV event.
The Melrose Sevens is born
1892
IOC founder Pierre de Coubertin referees the first French Rugby championship final
s s
1883
It also offers to accelerate the development work that’s already growing and strengthening the sport – both in emerging Rugby nations and in key new markets worldwide.
s
William Webb Ellis picks up the ball at Rugby School
The Olympic Games has the power to unlock funding and facilities for Rugby in all countries.
s
1823
s
s s
Timeline
It offers an unrivalled platform, reaching two-thirds of the world’s population and delivering unparalleled commercial leverage for those within the Olympic Family.
Athens 2004 attracted 3.9 billion individual TV viewers
Pierre de Coubertin was inducted into the
IRB Hall of Fame
in 2007
A sport with the Olympic Games at heart Rugby has a strong connection with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement; our stories have shared roots and values. In 1886 Pierre de Coubertin made a visit to Rugby School – the place where William Webb-Ellis was first inspired to pick up a ball and run.
Olympic hero – Frenchman Frantz Reichel in 1900
1920
The USA beats France at the Antwerp Games to take the gold medal
1924
The USA successfully defends its title at the Paris Games
s s
Australia wins the gold medal at the London Games
s
1908
s
Host France wins the first Olympic Rugby gold medal after beating Great Britain in the final
s
1900
Six years later, de Coubertin personally oversaw Rugby’s introduction to the Paris Games of 1900. Under de Coubertin’s guidance the sport featured again in 1908, 1920 and 1924.
That spirit still lives on in the sport of Rugby and in the International Olympic Committee: the body de Coubertin helped to establish in 1894.
s
s s
Timeline
De Coubertin gained part of his inspiration from the school’s educational ethos – a philosophy reflected in the sport to which it gave its name. A sport with a unique spirit.
France: Rugby gold medal winners in the 1900 Games
3 million
active players worldwide
Growth of Rugby World Cup 1987-2007 Total Cumulative Television Audience (RWC)
Total Attendance (RWC)
1987 Australia/New Zealand 230m
1987 Australia/New Zealand 0.6m
1991 Britain/France/Ireland 1.4bn
1991 Britain/France/Ireland 1m
1995 South Africa 2.3bn
1995 South Africa 1.1m
1999 Wales 3.1bn
1999 Wales 1.7m
2003 Australia 3.4bn
2003 Australia 1.9m
2007 France 4.2bn
2007 France 2.24m
A global success story
The 2007 tournament drew 2.2m spectators, four billion on TV, and was backed by millions in commercial sponsorship. Importantly these results were replicated
The Five Nations tournament resumes following the end of World War Two
at Rugby World Cup Sevens, which attracted full houses of 50,000 each day for three days in 2005, and will do the same in 2009, when there will be both a men’s and women’s tournament in Dubai. Olympic Games inclusion is the next logical step for Rugby.
1976
The first Hong Kong Sevens Tournament takes place
s s
1946
1995. Nowhere has this success been more in evidence than at Rugby World Cup.
s
The first Middlesex Sevens tournament takes place
It’s a vision that stresses Rugby’s unique ethos while embracing change and innovation – and has already delivered spectacular global growth since
s
1926
s
s s
Timeline
Inclusion in the Olympic Programme is a key element of the International Rugby Board’s vision for further development of the sport.
Fiji’s William Ryder and supporters celebrate winning the 2007 IRB Sevens World Series event in Adelaide
Sevens is the fastestgrowing form of Rugby – played by the quickest and fittest players.
In 2008, 32 national teams took part in the IRB Sevens World Series – the annual series that is played in eight different countries to sell-out crowds with a global TV reach of 500m.
Sevens has also proven a popular and straightforward addition to many Continental Games, including the Asian, World and Commonwealth Games. From 2011 Sevens will be in the Pan American Games and negotiations continue for a return to the All-Africa Games.
Sevens works much better than Fifteens in multi-sport event formats due to time constraints. It is used both as a player development pathway and a Game growth tool by many Unions around the world.
260,000
All of which benefits not only Sevens, but Fifteens and Rugby in general as well.
spectators attended the 2007
IRB Sevens World Series
Rugby World Cup is the pinnacle for Fifteens. Olympic inclusion would mean the Sevens ultimate stage would be the Olympic Games.
events
Why Sevens?
England beats Australia to lift the first Rugby World Cup Sevens title
1997
The second Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament takes place in Hong Kong with Fiji winning the title
s s
1993
s
The Melrose Sevens celebrates its centenary
s
1983
s
s s
Timeline
Rugby and the Olympic Games: a perfect match The world’s greatest sporting event would be a new pinnacle for Sevens – a showcase for a model professional sport with passionate travelling fans. The Olympic Games would deliver a new profile for Rugby. New audiences. New commercial opportunities.
Olympic status will provide new opportunities for emerging Unions that have so long promised to contend at the highest level.
New Zealand wins the third Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament held in Argentina
2005
Fiji reclaims its Rugby World Cup Sevens title in Hong Kong
s s
2001
s
The first IRB Sevens World Series kicks off in Dubai
And beyond them, the key investment markets of North America, Russia and Asia, for whom Sevens and the Olympic Games would be a gateway to Rugby at large.
s
1999
s
s s
Timeline
And, perhaps, new giants of the Game. Emboldened by the opportunity; strengthened by access to significant new funding that will flow into the Game.
Rugby in the Olympic Games would help to:
Reinforce the ideals of Olympism, thanks to Rugby’s long-standing ethos of fair play and friendship
l
l
each a new and young audience, including Rugby’s 3m players R in 115 countries and tens of millions of fans worldwide the Olympic Stadium in the first week of competition, adding an additional vibrant and youthful tone for the Games
l Fill
l Extend
the number of potential medal-winning nations, in what would be a true world championship funds to grow the Olympic Movement, by attracting new commercial partners and spectators
l Increase
Cert no. SA-COC-001794
Published by the INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BOARD, Huguenot House, 35-38 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, Ireland. Printed on FSC-certified paper. Produced for the IRB by Seven46. Pictures courtesy of Getty Images.
What happens next? In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to determine the Olympic Sports Programme for the 2016 Games. There are two vacant slots. If Rugby is to successfully claim
2011
The seventh Rugby World Cup takes place in New Zealand
Make sure you also take part in the IOC’s Virtual Olympic Congress, a public consultation running until December 31, 2008. For details, visit www.irb.com and click on Virtual Olympic Congress.
2016
s
The fifth Rugby World Cup Sevens takes place in Dubai
Talk to your National Olympic Committee and get in contact with your IOC Member. Tell them about our key messages which you can see opposite.
s
2009
s
s s
Timeline
one of them we must convince the IOC of the merits of Rugby as a global game with a unique ethos – and a passionate following. Everyone in Rugby – and in sport – needs to know how much, and why, we want to be part of the Olympic Games.
The 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games take place
Rugby’s participation in the Olympic Games will: l Act
as a catalyst and showcase for our sport’s global development
l
l
l
l
nlock significant new funding for U Rugby worldwide, at every level stablish Sevens as a global pathway to E all forms of Rugby raw new fans, sponsors and D broadcasters to Rugby ffer Rugby’s travelling supporters the O unique experience of the Olympic Games
