Why isn't Rugby in the Olympics?

Or at least I dont believe it is. Isn;t Rugby an international sport?

Yes, it’s an international sport, if you mean it’s being played in more than one country. But I do think the problem still might be its limited exposure worldwide.

Then again, why the hell is Curling an Olympic sport, if that applies?

Well, what sport is Australia introducing this year? Seems to me that this would have been the prefect time to make Rugby an Olympic sport.

That is, unless I’ve just imagined that the host country gets to introduce a new sport during each olympics. Beach Volleyball, for instance.

I’m no expert on rugby but they do have the Rugby World Cup which is held every four years like the Olympics. My guess is that the international rugby association (sorry, I don’t know the official name of it because I’m not a rugby guy) wants the focus to be on that particular competition, on which presumably it makes a good deal of money.

FIFA, the international soccer (football, whatever) governing body, has a similar attitude regarding the soccer World Cup, which is why Olympic soccer is confined to teams made up of players under 23 years of age (plus a few ringers).

Just because a sport is played internationally doesn’t mean it has to be in the Olympics. There are plenty of good international competitions in various sports. Personally I’ve always thought that the Olympics would be better if it didn’t include team sports at all, but only athletic competitions testing the limits of human physical achievement such as track and field, weight lifting, and swimming. The idea that the Olympics should be the most important competition in every sport is one I don’t really understand.

Welcome aboard Tom, and I think you’ve just provided us with the right answer. Thanks!

Rugby was an event in at several Olympic games starting in 1900 and including 1920 and 1924 when the U.S. took the gold. Why it was cancelled in or shortly after 1924, I do not know. Other events that have been cancelled include golf, cricket, and croquet.

Presumably the people that run international rugby don’t feel the need to bribe IOC members to get their sport included in the Olympics.

I think now that if you are introducing a sport, it should have both men’s and women’s competitions and I don’t know how much women’s rugby is played internationally.

There aren’t many single gender sports left in the Olympics (boxing, synchronized swimming are examples).

As an afterthought…
Rugby officials probably aren’t too enamored of the IOC because many African nations boycotted the 1976 Games because a South African rugby team had been permitted to tour in New Zealand.

Whether or not you thought that action appropriate, it is probably a big factor in the politics behind rugby becoming an Olympic sport.

I can remember the 1987 Rugby World Cup when the US took pride in being the “current Olympic Champions”.

The only one that I know for sure is being introduced is Ballroom Dancing - can’t wait. Sequin city, baby :cool:

:eek:

Six years ago word had it that the International Cricket Council was going to make an application to the IOC to introduce Cricket during the Syndey Games. The Australians, IIRC, were the main sponsors of the application (I’ll have to check Wisden 1994 to make sure).

Obviously they didn’t (a) prove that cricket was being played in enough countries, or (b) offer a bribe. Since “real Tae Kwon Do” (of a sort which is only practiced in South Korea, organised by a leader of the organising committee for the Seoul Games) is being introduced this year, I’m going to go for answer (b).

The SDMB rugger checking in.
I know that I heard rugby was going to be an exhibition sport in an upcoming Olympics, but I’ll be d**ned if I can find any info on it anywhere. Rest assured that if it does come back, the U.S. will no longer be the defending champions.

On a side note, I will be attending Rugby World Cup 2004 in Sydney, so any Aussie SDMBers, get ready to have a Wisconsin boy teach you how to drink!!

Of course I meant 2003.

Guys, I think we ought to trust the expertise of ChiefWahoo. I mean, this guy lives and breathes Rugby. He plays rugby with every possible thing that might function as a ball :smiley:

Rugby is not on the schedule in Sydney as a demonstration sport. In fact, I don’t think there are any demonstration sports on the schedule. There weren’t any in Atlanta either.

Cricket was included in the schedule for the 1896 Olympics, but nobody entered. In 1900, only Britain and France entered, after which it was dropped from the games.

Britain won by 158 runs.

Ballroom dancing is not a sport, medal or demonstration, at the 2000 games. What ballroom dancing has done is become an officially recognized sport by the IOC. This means that it can start the application process to become an Olympic sport. The earliest it could be included on the Olympic schedule would be 2008.

The organization that was recognized is called the International DanceSport Federation. It is run by IMG, a big sports agents’ group.

I found this regarding demonstration sports at the Olympics in the online archives of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Apparently, I dreamed the demo sport thing. I do think rugby meets the qualifications specified in the first paragraph. Shall we start a petition?

Having had a long-time thing for ruggers (and so many exboyfriends on the local team, I’m too ashamed to go to games) I am now looking on ChiefWahoo with new, lustful eyes.

leer leer.