Rugby Sevens at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Rugby, which disappeared from the Olympics in its 15-a-side format after the 1924 Games, reappeared in its seven-a-side version at Rio 2016. The format, better suited to the Olympic Games, originated in Scotland, where the first tournament was organized in 1883. Long marginalized, this discipline saw its first World Cup in 1993, followed by the creation of a global circuit in 1999. More universal and spectacular than its older sibling, rugby sevens is played not only in traditional rugby nations but also by men’s teams in Kenya and women’s teams in China.

As for the rules, they differ little from 15-a-side rugby but are adapted to the number of players. Game time is reduced to two halves of 7 minutes, with a 2-minute halftime for switching sides. In case of a tie at the end of regular time in knockout phases, a 10-minute sudden death overtime is played, where the first team to score wins. Passes can only be made backward. If the ball is passed forward by hand, it results in a scrum for the opposition. Forward kicks, however, are allowed. If the ball goes out of bounds on the sides, it’s a line-out for the opposing team. A small detail: the throw-in is done by the scrum-half, not the hooker as in 15-a-side rugby. Finally, scrums are contested three against three. Unlike in 15-a-side rugby, the team that scores kicks off from the halfway line. Thanks to all this, rugby sevens emphasizes long runs. Set pieces (scrums, line-outs) primarily serve to re-start play, and the matches are fast-paced, with far fewer stoppages than in 15-a-side rugby.

For the Paris 2024 Games, the tournaments took place over three days each. The competition began on 24 July, two days before the Opening Ceremony, so that the Stade de France could be used for athletics events starting on 2 August. Both the men and women had 12 teams compete, divided into three groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, advanced to the quarter-finals. Teams that failed to qualify for the knockout stages played classification matches for 9th to 12th place. The quarter-final losers played for 5th to 8th places, and the semi-final losers competed for the bronze medal.