Rugby Sevens: Women’s teams suffer blow as season reduced heading into Rio Olympic Games
Rugby sevens will be thrust into the international spotlight as never before when it makes its Olympic debut in Rio next summer.
The international men’s teams will have a 10-tournament season to hone their skills, measure up their competitors and prepare to deliver their best on the Olympic stage.
But the women’s field will get just four tournaments — two fewer than last season.
“The struggle is real for women in sports,” Canada team captain Jen Kish said after the Women’s World Series schedule was released Friday.
“There is inequality in sport, in every sport,” Kish said in a phone interview from Victoria where the team is training. “Rugby sevens is one of the fastest growing sports right now and you’d think they’d want to take every opportunity to keep growing the sport.”
There is talk of World Rugby adding a fifth stop, which would still only bring the women up to half what the men have.
“It’s definitely disappointing, because this is the most important year for every team and you want quality tournaments and games, as many as possible, leading into the Olympics,” Kish said.
As the schedule stands now, the women will open their World Series season in Dubai in December. Then they compete in Sao Paulo in February, and Atlanta and Langford, B.C., in April.
Then comes a big lull in the schedule until the Rio Olympics in August. That’s something head coach John Tait already is worrying about.
“We’ll have to be creative in how we approach those final months leading into the Olympics,” Tait said.
Canada’s women dominated at the Toronto Pan Am Games this past summer. Globally, they’re ranked second in the world, just behind New Zealand and ahead of other traditional rugby powerhouses, making them legitimate Olympic medal contenders.
“What these athletes need is more competition to develop their tactics within the game,” Tait said.
He’d like to see a season of at least eight tournaments for women in this newer and faster version of rugby. But for that to happen, traditional unions have to step forward and be willing to host tournaments.
“A big part of it falls to World Rugby, but a big part also falls to those home unions that have the resources and facilities to host tournaments,” Tait said.
Canada’s tournament in Langford, B.C., last year managed to turn a small profit, he said.
Rugby Canada plans to host a second lower-level tournament in Vancouver next season to “give our team and others more international competition in preparation for the Olympics,” said Toronto player Ghislaine Landry.
The reduced schedule was particularly disappointing news to players and coaches given that World Rugby had indicated it was looking to expand the women’s series, not reduce it.
“To regress in the Olympic year is not what we, women’s rugby sevens, expected,” Landry said.