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SEVENS’ OLYMPIC INCLUSION A ‘DEFINING MOMENT

PARIS: The inclusion of rugby sevens in the 2016 Olympic Games was a “defining moment” for a sport that continues to roll back boundaries in interest and growth, according to International Rugby Board chief executive officer Brett Gosper. Gosper said the abbreviated form of the game was a portal for many people in non-traditional markets into the more complex 15-a-side version. The beauty of sevens, a high-octane game played on a full pitch over two seven-minute halves and involving first-class skills and handling, and some of the speediest players in the sport, was its spectacular simplicity, Gosper said.