Figures from the sports and from the sponsorship industry said that Olympics inclusion will provide a major boost to both sports.
Tim Lacey, founder and Chief Executive of the Ultimate Rugby Sevens online community said the decision would “transform the face of Sevens forever and bring unprecedented exposure, profile and funds to the game.”
“Rugby Sevens is currently seeing extraordinary growth across the world with hundreds of new tournaments set to launch in the next year to add to the thousands already hosted in over 100 counties,” he said. “The excitement, dynamism and global appeal of the sport means it has a well deserved place on the Olympic stage.”
Lacey added that the decision “is not only massive for Sevens, it is huge for rugby as a global sport.”
Giles Morgan, head of sponsorship at HSBC, which has sponsorship programmes in both sports, said that the growth in the sports encouraged by Olympics inclusion would inevitably attract sponsors, and so create a “virtuous circle” of investment and further growth.
“Rugby will develop at all levels,” he said. “National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will fund sports they think they can medal in. Rugby Sevens is easy to pick up and relies less on physical size and strength, and more on skill, than the 15-a-side version, so will attract NOCs in emerging markets. You will see more rugby played there, more competitions, more participation, and when that happens, sponsors will follow.
“Golf is already very well funded at the top level, so the real focus for it is on grassroots. I think you will see more kids getting involved and investment in smaller facilities – 9-hole training centres as opposed to 18-hole courses.”
However Morgan noted that there was work to be done by both sports in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics. Golf, for instance, had to spread awareness of its accessibility.
“It is accessible,” he said, “but that message has to permeate to new countries and a wider demographic. Inevitably this will take time - but the Olympics will be a catalyst for this”
Morgan backed up Tim Lacey’s view that the inclusion of Rugby Sevens would also benefit the 15-a-side format, saying Sevens would provide a “launch-pad” for new players and territories to develop the skills needed for the larger format.
