Fijiana 7s coach Saiasi Fuli is expected to announce his 15-member team for the Paris Olympics this week. Fuli stated that the team will depart for France on Monday, July 15.
“We will be at the HFC Bank stadium tomorrow (today),” Fuli said yesterday.
The men’s 15-member sevens team, coached by Osea Kolisau, flew out on Monday.
The men’s sevens competition is scheduled from July 24-27, while the women’s tournament will take place from July 28-30. The men’s gold medal match on July 27 will be the first team sport gold medal 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 promises excitement, with Rio 2016 Olympic and SVNS 2024 gold medalists Australia facing Ireland, Great Britain, and debutants South Africa.
Hosts France, who won silver at Tokyo 2020, are in Pool C and will compete against the USA, Japan, and Brazil.
For the men, the pools are as follows: Pool A – New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and Japan; Pool B – Argentina, Australia, Samoa, and Kenya; Pool C – Fiji, France, USA, and Uruguay.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont commented, “The rugby sevens Olympic pools promise to be an epic, coming-of-age tournament for our sport in the French capital.
“Our sport will kick off Paris 2024 in style with an exciting and spectacular brand of rugby that will thrill the hundreds of thousands of fans in Stade de France and captivate millions more around the world.
“Rugby sevens is a fantastic engine to grow our sport and on its third Olympic appearance, it is already proving to be one of the attractions of the Games with record enthusiasm for tickets, riveting rivalries, and two strong French national teams hoping to achieve their Olympic dreams on home soil.
“We know from Rugby World Cup 2023 what an amazing rugby show Paris can put on, and the Olympic Games will be no different with knowledgeable and passionate fans expected to fill the stadium and create an incredible atmosphere for the players and teams 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 has a seating capacity of 69,000.
Feedback: ioane.asioli@fijisun.com.fj