How long before we become an Olympic Sport

[fighting irish]

Can anyone update us on progress towards acceptance as an Olympic Sport? Where are we, what does it take to get in and how long will it take us?

[deluded pom?]

It won't happen in my lifetime if at all.

[RogerT]

RL never will, RU as grabbed that spot.

[fighting irish]

Oi oi Roger, my mother's from Batley! 

[owls]

Union beat us to it unfortunately, cant see the IOC accepting us at all,

[Clogiron]

Never....... unfortunately

[Chamey]

Next time the UK or Australia host the olympics there is a good chance that it will be added as a one off 'local sport', Japan is adding Baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing for example. So if the UK hosted it'd likely add Rugby League, Cricket, Squash. And Australia would add Cricket, AFL, Rugby League. 

However there really wouldn't be much additional funding because of a one-off appearance twice a century. The real goal is to be a permanent sport. The sports are nominally judged against these criteria: https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/Who-We-Are/Commissions/Olympic-Programme-Commission/EN-2012-06-IOC-evaluation-criteria-for-sports-and-disciplines.pdf

There's also a general criteria of being played widely by men in 75 nations across three continents, and by women in 40 across two, and having a decent spread of past medalists at world championships.

The most significant obstacle is that the IOC has decided to try to limit the number of athletes in permanent sports to 10,500, so it is effectively one athlete in, one athlete out, and hence massively hard to get team sports in.

Squash for example is quite widely played, has a decent variety of past medalists, and will only take up a few athlete slots, yet consistently gets rejected due to a lack of high profile sponsorship. 

I just can't see Rugby League getting 9s in ever, it doesn't really tick many of the boxes, and shares similarities to another sport already in there. The Commonwealth games really should be a first step, but mystifyingly isn't even in there yet. But then cricket isn't either so...

As for how a certain other sport got in, it was basically a favour to the retiring 12 year chair of the IOC Jacques Rogge, who made it very clear that he wanted RU to get in, because he was a Belgium NT player in his youth.

[moorside roughyed]

Can't see it happening tbh. Union jumped at that chance. Unfortunately union is in my view more professionally run and organized than rugby league. Another question would be can most people not involved in rugby tell the difference between the two?

[SSoutherner]

5 hours ago, moorside roughyed said:

Can't see it happening tbh. Union jumped at that chance. Unfortunately union is in my view more professionally run and organized than rugby league. Another question would be can most people not involved in rugby tell the difference between the two?

RU 7's fits perfectly for TV,  it is short sweet plenty of scores and the US loves it. It already has a worldwide circuit with plenty of sponsorship - i just cant see how RL would get a look in over it, the games take too long and due to that need too long recovery before the next game for a decent worldwide tournament to fit in the Olympic timetable

[Oxford]

How long before we become an Olympic Sport?

 

Well there are two ways to look at this you can surrender or you can look at the listed criteria and set about achieving them one by one goal by goal.

Some have already been sorted.

 

 

[Copa]

On 30/03/2019 at 04:33, RogerT said:

RL never will, RU as grabbed that spot.

There are different types of wrestling, tae kwon do, karate, 100m sprint, 100m hurdle, 4 rowing, 8 rowing, canoe, whitewater kayaking, etc.

There’s plenty of room for us ..... if we were popular.

[RogerT]

Agreed, way back in the 50's I believe RL tried to get in, I remember a chap at my works wearing a lapel badge entitled RLOC and he told me it was an attempt to gain entry into the Olympics, when I saw it, it was in the early 60's, but my mind might be playing me tricks.

[fighting irish]

I think it should be a major goal, for the international federation.

[deluded pom?]

12 hours ago, fighting irish said:

I think it should be a major goal, for the international federation.

I disagree fi. I just think there’s little chance in the near future and it would be a waste of time, resources and money. 

[Harry Stottle]

On 03/05/2019 at 09:02, Copa said:

There are different types of wrestling, tae kwon do, karate, 100m sprint, 100m hurdle, 4 rowing, 8 rowing, canoe, whitewater kayaking, etc.

There’s plenty of room for us ..... if we were popular.

And there is the crux of the problem, globally we are just not popular enough, BUT if RL was smuggled in there and played instead of Union 3/4 of the globe would not recognise the differance from what they watched before, indeed if at all many watched Rugby in the Olympics.

[deluded pom?]

3 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

And there is the crux of the problem, globally we are just not popular enough, BUT if RL was smuggled in there and played instead of Union 3/4 of the globe would not recognise the differance from what they watched before, indeed if at all many watched Rugby in the Olympics.

I think the last viewing figures I saw for Olympic rugby was 6,000,000,000.

[fighting irish]

On 06/05/2019 at 12:05, deluded pom? said:

I think the last viewing figures I saw for Olympic rugby was 6,000,000,000.

Isn't that a good reason for the RLIF to put it up as a major medium to long term goal?

[deluded pom?]

56 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

Isn't that a good reason for the RLIF to put it up as a major medium to long term goal?

I was being facetious fi. 

[fighting irish]

I didn't think the number was real, but I'll bet large numbers (in non participating countries) did watch the 7's and we could really do with that kind of exposure. Also the chance to play in the Olympic games will entice new countries to play. How many man hours (per year) will it take, to make sure we are moving towards the games entry criteria? It's a worthy goal.

[deluded pom?]

I honestly don’t know anyone who watched the Olympic rugby sevens. 

[RayCee]

18 hours ago, deluded pom? said:

I honestly don’t know anyone who watched the Olympic rugby sevens. 

I wouldn’t be friends of such types either. 

[fighting irish]

On ‎10‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 01:46, RayCee said:

I wouldn’t be friends of such types either. 

nor me