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Rugby's Olympics involvement under threat following World Rugby elections scandal - report

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Rugby’s position at the Olympic Games could be lost in the wake of the Francis Kean saga that has rocked the current World Rugby elections.

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Kean, chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union, was Fiji’s representative nominated to run for a place on World Rugby’s executive committee – a nomination that was seconded by the French Rugby Federation.

However, Kean – who was a supporter of World Rugby chairman candidate Bill Beaumont – has since withdrawn his bid for a spot on the executive committee and resigned from his role at the FRU amid accusations of “rampant homophobia” and discrimination.

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Rennie issues response to speculation

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Rennie issues response to speculation

Those allegations of the man convicted of manslaughter in 2007 could yet have a significant impact on whether rugby remains in the Olympics.

According to the Daily Mail, the controversy has alleviated concerns about the vetting process of the officials who run the game, which could be in breach of the International Olympic Committee code of ethics.

The report reveals that ex-Samoa captain and Pacific Rugby Players Welfare chief executive Daniel Leo has penned a draft letter to the IOC calling for a probe into Kean’s background and the unions that supported his nomination.

“We are taking advice from our lawyers about a letter we are drafting,” Leo said. “I’m disappointed that World Rugby haven’t launched an open investigation into Kean and France for nominating him.

“If World Rugby don’t commit to governance reforms, our next letter will be to the International Olympic Committee, asking that they consider suspending rugby as an Olympic sport until they are fully compliant with IOC obligations.

“If it takes some short-term pain, i.e. being blocked from the Olympics, then so be it. But hopefully the sport can be proactive in this before that would happen.

“We have to push through now and make sure the lessons are learned and, most importantly, acted upon.”

After more than 90 years in the Olympic wilderness, rugby returned to the planet’s biggest sporting event in 2016 in the form of rugby sevens, with the Fiji men’s and Australia women’s sides claiming gold medals in Rio de Janeiro.

Rugby sevens was set to take place at the Tokyo Olympics this year, but will instead be played in 2021 after the Games were delayed by a year due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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