Qualification for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires is the target this weekend for the best under 18 rugby sevens nations from the Americas.
While National Olympic Committees will ultimately decide which team sport competitions they will enter at the Games, the north and south Americas qualifiers will provisionally deliver three teams for the competitions, which will be played at Club Atlético San Isidro between October 13 and 15.
The North America qualifier takes place in Las Vegas, USA on 2-4 March ahead of the Las Vegas 7s and features Canada, USA, Mexico and Barbados in the women’s competition, while Canada, USA, Jamaica and Barbados will compete in the men’s competition. Both winners will provisionally qualify.
The South America qualifier will take place in Sao José dos Campos, Brazil on 3-4 March, and sees women’s teams from Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay compete for the prize. The winner will provisionally qualify joining Argentina’s men (
World Rugby vice-chairman and Americas Rugby President Agustín Pichot said: “The Youth Olympic Games presents an fantastic opportunity for the best young rugby sevens players from the Americas to be part of a truly special global event that focuses on athlete and personal development.guaranted), who claimed silver at Nanjing 2014.
“We have an ever-growing depth of young sevens talent across the Americas and, for several of the players involved this weekend, qualification for the Youth Olympic Games marks the first step on the road to Tokyo 2020.
“The players will be excited at the prospect of representing their nation in a Youth Olympics hosted on their continent and I am also excited that the 2018 Youth Olympic Games will be hosted in my home city, Buenos Aires, who I am sure will deliver an outstanding Games.”
Rugby sevens made its debut in the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, with Australia and France winning gold in the girls and boys competitions respectively. It will be one of 32 sports at Buenos Aires 2018.
For more information on the Youth Olympic Games visit https:://www.buenosaires2018.com/en and https://www.olympic.org/buenos-aires-2018
Join the conversation using the #YOGjourney hashtag
Source: www.worldrugby.org
