Rugby Sevens for 2012?
Post categories: Interactive TV,ÌýRugby
| 08:55 UK time, Friday, 1 June 2007
Thanks for all your comments about our TV coverage of last weekend's London leg of the .
I think the event was a success, and despite the lousy weather there was a crowd of more than 20,000 for the finals day on Sunday. Wales fared best of the home nations reaching their first ever semi-final at a World Sevens event.
means that they still have a chance of beating the South Sea islanders to the overall world title with the last leg of the series taking place in Edinburgh this weekend.
The most memorable aspects of the Twickenham event were the (with teams from Kenya, Portugal and Georgia mixing it with the big boys), and the cosmopolitan, joyous nature of the crowd.
I hope that the British Olympic Association used the occasion to demonstrate the sport to IOC officials as it is no secret that .
It should be a shoo in. As I mentioned last week, sevens has been an important sport in the past three Commonwealth Games and the World Series is showing that the strength of the event would stretch well beyond Commonwealth boundaries. Japan, China and the USA could all easily be added to the .
Also sevens would be a perfect sport to put in the main Olympic stadium after the opening ceremony, and before the athletics events get under way in the second weekend of the Games.
Send us your thoughts on that idea and remember that there will again be on ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV this weekend. On Saturday, there will be live coverage of every match on ´óÏó´«Ã½i via the red button from 0900 (BST). There will be an hour's round-up of the best of day one on ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO from 1725.
On Sunday, live coverage of the finals begins at 1100 via the red button. ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO will wrap up all the action from the quarter and semi-finals from 1730, ahead of live coverage of the final at 1850.
There has been some dispute in Scotland that this event should have been held in - the birthplace of sevens rugby, with the first ever tournament held there in 1883. I would agree with this view. Rather like Twickenham, will not look anything like full, even if 20,000 turn up at the weekend. Would it not be better to create a real festival atmosphere in such a great setting for sevens rugby?
That's one for the IRB and the future, but I think we can promise that just like last weekend, the action on the pitch will be well worth your attention.
