Treu welcomes go-ahead

By Mark Etheridge

An ecstatic South African Sevens coach Paul Treu Friday welcomed the International Olympic Committee decision Friday to admit Sevens rugby and golf to the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“This will change the face of the Sevens code forever,” said Treu from Somerset West. “The 15-man version of the game will always be big but this decision will change the Cinderella status of Sevens rugby.

“I have to commend the IRB and the global rugby community for their tireless campaign to get Sevens back into the Olympics.”

The IOC voted in golf and Sevens rugby at their 121st Congress session in Copenhagen Denmark.

Golf makes an Olympic comeback after 112 years and the 15-man version of rugby was played at the Olympics in 1924. IOC members voted 63-27 for golf, and even more overwhelmingly in favour of rugby, 81-8. Golf envisages a 72-hole strokeplay competition with fields of 60 women and 60 men, while rugby plans a 12-team tournament for men and women.

South African golfers and our reigning world Sevens champions Sevens sides now have an Olympic gold medal to aim for, the absolute pinnacle of global sporting achievement.

And Treu, who coached the Sevens side to their world champion status this year, reckons the lure of Olympic gold is going to make it so much harder to achieve success. “Governments are now going to be pumping in so much money into the sport in order to get gold, so you are going to get that many more countries starting to play Sevens.”

“In fact I was talking to one of the US Sevens management guys just yesterday and he was a bit disillusioned about lack of funds and plans etc, and I told him to just wait until the announcement, things will take off then.

“The US has a vast pool of talent. There are NFL (grid-iron) guys out there who just can’t make the cut, but they run close to sub 10-seconds for the 100-metres. Imagine once you harness that talent!”

But Treu is confident the world champions won’t be left behind. “I have been waiting for this for a long time and have got plenty of plans, some that I have already started on. Obviously we’ll need buy-in from the national sports departments but I’m confident of that.”

International Rugby Board (IRB) president Bernard Lapasset said: “This is a historic moment for our sport and for the global rugby community, who were united in support of our campaign.

“We are excited and honoured to be joining the Olympic Games and I would like to thank the IOC members for believing in our Olympic vision and our values and recognising that Rugby Sevens is a perfect fit for the Olympic Games.”

“The Olympic Games will be the pinnacle of the sport for all our athletes and the rugby family. The best men’s and women’s players in the world are excited to be able to showcase their talent on the world’s greatest sporting stage.”

“We are now looking forward to working in partnership with the IOC to develop and implement a Rugby Sevens tournament in Rio that will reach out to new audiences and inspire a new generation of sports fans around the world,” added Lapasset.