RUGBY LEAGUE IN THE OLYMPICS

[gingerjon]

Just now, Tommygilf said:

I'm sure it was very extensive as a process.

My point was that a bit of political will behind a project is always helpful too - and the point was an observer status sport too.

TBH, they shouldn't really have been kicked out. That was a very odd decision but there were (from memory) some issues about the distinction between baseball and softball which have since been resolved. It helps that across both it has genuine medal prospects from a fairly wide range of countries.

[Taniwha Warriors]

On 12/04/2021 at 17:38, bobbruce said:

I thought the Bradford one showed the massive gulf between the sports at the time. They were so dominant the RU sides were going backwards when they had the ball. 

Didn’t London Broncos and St Helen’s took part in the Dubai 7’s up against SH club teams after that? I remember London Broncos been there as I was managing a NZ team that there as well.

[The Frying Scotsman]

12 hours ago, DC77 said:

Basketball in the Olympics is understandable as they're don’t have a World Cup (of any note), thus the Olympics is their biggest national team event. 

Neither do we. Could we use this as a springboard towards Olympic inclusion?

[eal]

14 hours ago, DC77 said:

Basketball in the Olympics is understandable as they don’t have a World Cup (of any note), thus the Olympics is their biggest national team event. 

Baksetball has a fairly big World Cup in fact - 24 teams with most of the best players showing up. A USA squad full of NBA players was knocked out in the quarterfinals such was the competitiveness of the tournament. 

[nadera78]

This whole thing's laughable.

[tim2]

19 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Don't worry. Someone will tell them that it might involve a commitment to participating in Olympics that aren't held in Australia and they will give up.

The Olympics also happens right in the middle of the NRL season. They've probably not realised that yet.

[Whippet13]

2 hours ago, tim2 said:

The Olympics also happens right in the middle of the NRL season. They've probably not realised that yet.

No problem there, I'm sure the NRL is going to demand the Olympics be postponed until after their GF.

[yipyee]

Rugby League wont exsist by then, theres no future for the game if it carries on down the path its headed

[soulboy]

https://www.wfxrtv.com/japan-2020/breakdancing-in-the-olympics-its-happening-in-3-years/amp/
 

This has got the nod before RL.

[fighting irish]

33 minutes ago, soulboy said:

https://www.wfxrtv.com/japan-2020/breakdancing-in-the-olympics-its-happening-in-3-years/amp/
 

This has got the nod before RL.

Say no more. Is Gus Gould taking part?

[dealwithit]

Well worth a read:

https://www.fijitimes.com/surfing-the-hard-work-starts-here-says-isa-president/

[emesssea]

On 22/07/2021 at 17:57, eal said:

Baksetball has a fairly big World Cup in fact - 24 teams with most of the best players showing up. A USA squad full of NBA players was knocked out in the quarterfinals such was the competitiveness of the tournament. 

While I know about the FIBA World Cup, I had no idea it was held in 2019 nor did I know the US lost in the QF, but what I do remember 17 years on is the collective aneurism our country about had when they lost to Argentina in the SF in Athens. For some sports like basketball the Olympics are the premier international competition for others like soccer not so much.

As far as rugby codes being at the Olympics, I remember listening to an episode of Voluntary Tackle, and one of the guys is also a bit of a Union fan, and he mentioned an unintended consequence of sevens being in the Olympics was a lot of the developing Union countries diverted funding from the 15 man code to sevens. I imagine if nines was added the same would happen to League.

I honestly don't quite grasp the hole concept of "promoting nines competitions will promote rugby league". To me nines to is to League what Union is to League, a completely different sport. Soccer didn't get big in the US because of a bunch of beach soccer tournaments, it got big because the 11 man game became more popular over time. 

I know that every now and then sevens tournaments get big attendance here, not sure how or why, but regardless of its popularity, the 15 man game is still a blip on the US sporting radar.

[unapologetic pedant]

12 minutes ago, emesssea said:

As far as rugby codes being at the Olympics, I remember listening to an episode of Voluntary Tackle, and one of the guys is also a bit of a Union fan, and he mentioned an unintended consequence of sevens being in the Olympics was a lot of the developing Union countries diverted funding from the 15 man code to sevens. I imagine if nines was added the same would happen to League.

How many developing League countries have any funds to divert?

RL 9s in the Olympics would mean access to resources our developing nations currently don`t have. And a better chance of establishing the difference between League and Union in more minds.

[emesssea]

2 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

How many developing League countries have any funds to divert?

RL 9s in the Olympics would mean access to resources our developing nations currently don`t have. And a better chance of establishing the difference between League and Union in more minds.

How is playing nines going to lead to the establishing of league? Theyre two different sports, and I doubt most people even realize theyre related. Like I said soccer didn't get big in a country like US because of beach soccer or indoor soccer or any other version other than the true 11 per side game.

I just dont see how watching a 9 per side game that last 18 minutes translates to watching a 13 per side 80 minute game. 

[The Frying Scotsman]

3 hours ago, emesssea said:

an unintended consequence of sevens being in the Olympics was a lot of the developing Union countries diverted funding from the 15 man code to sevens. I imagine if nines was added the same would happen to League.

I honestly don't quite grasp the hole concept of "promoting nines competitions will promote rugby league". To me nines to is to League what Union is to League, a completely different sport. 

Right..... Which "developing Rugby League countries" are currently funding Rugby League to the extent that their 13-a-side program would really suffer if Rugby League 9s (somehow, miraculously) made the Olympics, and this "funding" was then re-diverted into 9's?????

As I said earlier, the Olympics would be an absolute game-changer for an impoverished sport like Rugby League. 

[The Frying Scotsman]

2 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

How many developing League countries have any funds to divert?

RL 9s in the Olympics would mean access to resources our developing nations currently don`t have. And a better chance of establishing the difference between League and Union in more minds.

Thanks.

You beat me to it. 

[lucky 7]

After the world debacle by the Aussies and the Kiwis nobody of importance will take notice of any bid by Rugby League to become an Olympic sport

[Henson Park Old Firm]

18 hours ago, soulboy said:

https://www.wfxrtv.com/japan-2020/breakdancing-in-the-olympics-its-happening-in-3-years/amp/
 

This has got the nod 

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/BossyOblongEmperorpenguin-size_restricted.gif

[Dallas Mead]

Who cares?  Let the Aussies and kiwis play in it and every other country should give it a miss.

[Taniwha Warriors]

8 hours ago, emesssea said:

While I know about the FIBA World Cup, I had no idea it was held in 2019 nor did I know the US lost in the QF, but what I do remember 17 years on is the collective aneurism our country about had when they lost to Argentina in the SF in Athens. For some sports like basketball the Olympics are the premier international competition for others like soccer not so much.

As far as rugby codes being at the Olympics, I remember listening to an episode of Voluntary Tackle, and one of the guys is also a bit of a Union fan, and he mentioned an unintended consequence of sevens being in the Olympics was a lot of the developing Union countries diverted funding from the 15 man code to sevens. I imagine if nines was added the same would happen to League.

I honestly don't quite grasp the hole concept of "promoting nines competitions will promote rugby league". To me nines to is to League what Union is to League, a completely different sport. Soccer didn't get big in the US because of a bunch of beach soccer tournaments, it got big because the 11 man game became more popular over time. 

I know that every now and then sevens tournaments get big attendance here, not sure how or why, but regardless of its popularity, the 15 man game is still a blip on the US sporting radar.

I don’t know which show you were listening to and which country it was. But here in NZ the Women and Men’s 7’s national teams received $2.4million a year funding from High Performance Sport New Zealand. I’m sure union 7’s receive such findings in Australia and other countries in pursue of medals. A recent Oceania 7’s pre Olympics trial event in Townsville at the home of the Cowboys was fully funded by  Australian government owned PacificAus Sports. So those are some types of the fundings and grants that rugby league 9’s if it was included in the Olympic could access.

[emesssea]

1 hour ago, Taniwha Warriors said:

I don’t know which show you were listening to and which country it was. But here in NZ the Women and Men’s 7’s national teams received $2.4million a year funding from High Performance Sport New Zealand. I’m sure union 7’s receive such findings in Australia and other countries in pursue of medals. A recent Oceania 7’s pre Olympics trial event in Townsville at the home of the Cowboys was fully funded by  Australian government owned PacificAus Sports. So those are some types of the fundings and grants that rugby league 9’s if it was included in the Olympic could access.

I'm not sure using NZ is the best counterexample, Union is king there, I don't think its going to have any trouble getting funding via the government or any other means and can throw money at sevens without worry.

The show (an NRL podcast in Australia) was talking about emerging nations (i.e. USA, Germany, etc.). I have know way of knowing if what he says is true (a google search only turned up COVID related articles) but it makes sense. One post on here even stated Russia converted their womens League team to a sevens team, whats to stop countries from doing the same for nines?

If I'm wrong, great, but I don't see how an 18 minute 9 per side game is an effective way to spreading the 80 minues 13 per side game. 

[DC77]

On 23/07/2021 at 01:57, eal said:

Baksetball has a fairly big World Cup in fact - 24 teams with most of the best players showing up. A USA squad full of NBA players was knocked out in the quarterfinals such was the competitiveness of the tournament. 

Basketball is an overwhelmingly niche sport outside the US, and inside it it is dominated by Africans which sees the viewership being disproportionately black. Its simply not competitive enough to have a viable World Cup, so the interest is negligible. The status of the Olympics *gave it a draw among the top players that it otherwise would not have had. 

I say gave as it no longer has that draw among top players. Big brands have also pulled out over the last two Olympics. This lessening draw applies to most sports at the Olympics as the event itself is not what it was. Drug use is one reason (sceptical about competitors), the influx of gimmicky events another (diluting the games with so many), but the main reason for me is we now have unlimited access to anything we want to view via our tablets, laptops, phones etc. An Olympics before all this would have stood out a mile. It was the talk of the town. Now it’s just another event swamped among all the other media and options we have at our disposal. Can anyone name me a British athlete? Maybe the female sprinter...anyone else? Contrast this with the days of Daley Thompson, Sally Gunnell, Colin Jackson, Linford Christie, Jonathan Edwards, John Regis, Roger Black, Steve Backley and on and on and on. The focus and spotlight just isn’t there anymore.

Taking all this into account, as well as RU getting negligible growth via a sevens event, I don’t see RL benefiting by being at the Olympics (bar the small amount of money received as an IOC member sport). Those who watched the RU sevens will overwhelmingly have come from the RU hotbeds. There are so many sports to cover that niche sports will only appeal to their own region. It’s a moot point anyway because RU sevens being in there there’s no chance a RL equivalent would also get in...although given how farcical the event has got nothing would be a surprise.

Edited July 24 by DC77

[DC77]

On 23/07/2021 at 13:25, soulboy said:

https://www.wfxrtv.com/japan-2020/breakdancing-in-the-olympics-its-happening-in-3-years/amp/
 

This has got the nod before RL.

I noticed 3 vs 3 basketball being played earlier...and they use just one backboard. Previously I’d have been shocked but now it’s a shrug.

The IOC are desperate to drum up interest by shoving anything in there but it ain’t going to work. The Olympics is not going to die, but it isn't and won’t be what it was.

[DC77]

14 hours ago, The Frying Scotsman said:

Right..... Which "developing Rugby League countries" are currently funding Rugby League to the extent that their 13-a-side program would really suffer if Rugby League 9s (somehow, miraculously) made the Olympics, and this "funding" was then re-diverted into 9's?????

As I said earlier, the Olympics would be an absolute game-changer for an impoverished sport like Rugby League. 

In what way would it be a game changer?

In the unlikely event of there being RU sevens and a RL nines in an Olympics (although as I said nothing would surprise me now) how much exactly would RL get? 

What has been the benefits to RU? Games played to sparse crowds in small stadiums and covered by their own hotbeds. It ain’t spreading the game. 

The main event for the Rugby codes are their own World Cups.

i have limited interest in football at the Olympics, really it shouldn’t be there. Neither should all the others sports at the Olympics which see it as a minor event. 

 

 

[Taniwha Warriors]

4 hours ago, DC77 said:

In what way would it be a game changer?

In the unlikely event of there being RU sevens and a RL nines in an Olympics (although as I said nothing would surprise me now) how much exactly would RL get? 

What has been the benefits to RU? Games played to sparse crowds in small stadiums and covered by their own hotbeds. It ain’t spreading the game. 

The main event for the Rugby codes are their own World Cups.

i have limited interest in football at the Olympics, really it shouldn’t be there. Neither should all the others sports at the Olympics which see it as a minor event. 

 

 

You don’t see the benefits of union sevens been in the Olympics? Growing up I only ever heard of the Hong Kong 7’s and small tournaments here and there. At the moment nearly all regional events like Pan-Am, Pacific Games, Asian Games, African Games and others that have now added 7’s as one of the sports. Don’t worry about sparse crowds, I rather have increase participation, fundings and developments than worry about who buys tickets to watch.