Fijiana 7s coach Saiasi Fuli is expected to announce his 15-member team for the Paris Olympics this week. According to Fuli, the team will depart for France on Monday, July 15.
“We will be at the HFC Bank stadium tomorrow (today),” Fuli said yesterday.
The Osea Kolisau-coached 15-member men’s sevens team already left for France on Monday.
The men’s sevens competition is scheduled from July 24-27, followed by the women’s tournament from July 28-30. The men’s gold medal match on July 27 will be the first team sport gold medal to be awarded at the Games.
The women’s competition features three highly competitive pools. Reigning Olympic champions and SVNS League winners New Zealand will face Fiji, Canada, and newly qualified China in Pool A.
Pool B features a strong lineup with Rio 2016 Olympic and SVNS 2024 gold medalists Australia going up against Ireland, Great Britain, and debutants South Africa.
Hosts France, who earned a silver medal at Tokyo 2020, are placed in Pool C alongside the USA, Japan, and Brazil.
The men’s pools are as follows: Pool A – New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Japan; Pool B – Argentina, Australia, Samoa, Kenya; Pool C – Fiji, France, USA, Uruguay.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont expressed his excitement for the upcoming event. “The rugby sevens Olympic pools promise to be an epic, coming-of-age tournament for our sport in the French capital,” he said.
“Our sport will have the honour of kicking off Paris 2024 with an exciting brand of rugby that will thrill the hundreds of thousands of fans at Stade de France and capture the hearts and minds of millions more around the world. Rugby sevens is a fantastic driver for growing our sport and, in its third Olympic appearance, is already proving to be one of the Games’ main attractions with record enthusiasm for tickets, exciting rivalries, and two strong French national teams aiming to achieve their Olympic dreams on home soil.”
Sir Bill added, “We know from Rugby World Cup 2023 what an incredible rugby show Paris can put on, and the Olympic Games will be no different. Knowledgeable and passionate fans are expected to fill the stadium and create an amazing atmosphere for the players to showcase their unique combination of speed, strength, and sensational skills.”
All the action will take place at a refurbished and packed Stade de France, which seats 69,000 spectators.