Captains ready for Olympic qualification battle in Monaco
- World Rugby Sevens Repechage will decide the final men’s and women’s qualifiers for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 rugby sevens competition
- Eleven men’s and 11 women’s teams to compete on 21-23 June at Stade Louis II in Monaco
- Captains were welcomed by Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco at The Prince's Palace of Monaco on Thursday
- Paris 2024 pools will be announced after the Repechage final on Sunday, together with Paralympic Games pools for wheelchair rugby
- Fans around the globe can watch on rugbypass.tv and for tickets visit monaco-rugby.com
The 22 international rugby sevens captains chasing their Olympic dreams were welcomed by Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco at The Prince's Palace of Monaco on Thursday ahead of the World Rugby Sevens Repechage tournament kick off.
The three-day Repechage event takes place from 21-23 June and will decide the final men’s and women’s qualifiers for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 rugby sevens competition.
Stade Louis II in Monaco, which hosted final qualification events prior to the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, will again provide the stage for this crucial, winner-takes-all event.
Following the withdrawal of Papua New Guinea’s men’s and women’s teams earlier in the week, the competition will now feature 11 men's and 11 women's teams vying for the ultimate prize of representing their country on the Olympic stage, with only the winners securing their tickets to Paris.
South Africa’s Blitzboks, Olympic bronze medallists at Rio 2016, will be strong contenders after winning the first round of SVNS 2024 in Dubai, but will face tough competition from a line-up which also includes HSBC SVNS 2024 teams Canada, Great Britain, and Spain.
The women’s tournament features a wide-open field with Czechia making their Repechage debut and China in confident mood having dominated the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024.
Participating teams:
- Men’s teams: Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Great Britain, Hong Kong China, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Tonga, Uganda.
- Women’s teams: Argentina, China, Czechia, Hong Kong China, Kenya, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Poland, Samoa, Uganda.
Poland and Czechia women will kick-off the tournament at 13:00 local time (GMT+2) on Friday, 21 June. The pool matches continue throughout Friday and Saturday, before what promises to be an exhilarating finals day on Sunday
Sunday’s action, which falls on Olympic Day – the global celebration of the Olympic Movement - will begin with the quarter-finals from 09:30 local time, before the semi-finals take place from 14:22 and the all important women’s and men’s finals will kick off at 18:01 and 18:36 respectively when the rugby sevens Olympic line-up will be completed.
South Africa men’s player Impi Visser said: ““We really did ourselves no favours this time around, but luckily for us, we have one more opportunity and this time we must make it work.”
“Some of us were in Tokyo last time around, but we did not get a podium finish, so in a way there will be unfinished business for us. However, the reality is that we need to get the job done here first, before thinking about anything else.”
Great Britain men’s captain Robbie Fergusson said: “Preparations have been good coming in to this one. We got some boys back playing minutes at the last Series event in Madrid and we had a good training week last week in London so we’re in a good spot coming in to this weekend.
“We had our backs against the wall a little bit towards the end of the World Series with the format trying to get into that top eight and we dug out a big result to get to the final in Los Angeles and backed it up in Singapore getting a bronze to secure our place in the World Series which was huge for us.
“If we can get across the line and qualify on Sunday, I think that emotionally would out do the Tokyo Olympics, with everything we’ve been through to from as Great Britain and to achieve that with this group would be huge.”
China women’s high-performance consultant Gordon Tietjens said: “I know the Olympics is the dream. And it comes down to a one-off tournament. You've just got to hit every game, tick the box and treat it like another tournament, and we'll do that and give it our very, very best.
“It has been a particularly good season for the China women's sevens team. I think the coaching team have done a really, really good job. I think the athletes themselves; they can be proud of their performances.
“But again, the sport can be ruthless at any given time. And we've just got to attack one game at a time, starting with Mexico on Friday night.”
World Rugby Chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The Olympic Games are the biggest multi-sport event in the world and a stage like no other for rugby sevens players. Stakes will be high and we expect intense and passionate world-class rugby in Monaco over the three days as teams compete for the final Olympic spots.
“We wish the best of luck to all teams involved in the pursuit of their Olympic dream and hope to see many fans at Stade Louis II for this fantastic tournament. Our gratitude and thanks to Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco and the Fédération Monégasque de Rugby for hosting this prestigious event for the third time in succession.”
After the conclusion of the Repechage tournament, the Paris 2024 pools for rugby sevens will be announced alongside the pools for the wheelchair rugby competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Register to watch the announcement at 20:00 here.
Tickets for the Repechage event are available at www.monaco-rugby.com
