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GOLF AND RUGBY SEVENSis aiming to ensure that Rio 2016 provides a platform to inspire and engage even more new participants and fans.According to Kit McConnell, the Olympic Movement as a whole will benefit from the inclusion of the new sports. “Both sports are in a fantastic position to realise the goals that they, and the IOC, had when they were added to the programme for Rio 2016,” he says. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for each of these sports to showcase themselves and reach new audiences, but equally, with those two sports bringing their high-profile elite athletes and their fans to the Games, it will add to that truly unique mix that is the Olympic Games.“The inclusion of these two sports gives the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement the opportunity to access new fans and new audiences. Both of the sports have huge global followings and the opportunity that their involvement in the Olympic programme brings is creating the connection between those fans and the Olympic Movement around the world.”Rio 2016 will be the first time that new sports will have been contested at the Games since triathlon and taekwondo made their debuts in Sydney in 2000, and McConnell believes that the ability to bring new events to the Games is a major part of their success. “The continuing evolution of the Olympic programme – both in terms of sports or the events within those sports – is something that is very important for the IOC, as we seek to showcase the best of sport and the best events available within those sports. It’s about us having the flexibility to reflect modern trends in sport and continuing to use the sports programme and the events programme to both engage there has been a good lift in government and NOC funding for the game because of the Olympic status.”A new “Get Into Rugby” initiative has been a central part of World Rugby’s strategy for growing the game, with a target of attracting and retaining one million new players by Rio 2016. A record 460,000 children participated in the programme in 2014, while more than 300,000 took part in the first five months of 2015 – a 40 per cent increase on the same period last year.Rugby is also hoping to leave a lasting legacy within the host city and host country. World Rugby unveiled Brazil’s first ever semi-permanent beach rugby pitch on Rio’s iconic Copacabana beach in June. In addition, World Rugby has launched the “Impact Beyond” programme, which aims to use Rio 2016 as a catalyst for the growth of the game in Brazil. The initiative provides training for physical education teachers and members of sports clubs, so that Get Into Rugby can be included in 1,000 schools in Rio de Janeiro as well as community and social projects, reaching 200,000 children throughout the country.“We want to leave behind a really strong legacy for the sport in Brazil,” explains Egan. “We had over 500 children taking part when we launched Get Into Rugby in Brazil. We’re hoping to have 20,000 in the Rio area who will have touched a rugby ball or been involved in a rugby programme between now and the Games, and hopefully over 1,000 school teachers will have been involved in some kind of training or coaching programme as well.”Rugby is already one of the fastest-growing team sports in Brazil, and with more than 46,000 children introduced to the game in the past two years, World Rugby Fans were given a taste of what they can expect from the return of golf and rugby to the Olympic programme during last year’s Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing, where both sports were included on the programme (pictured above). The events proved to be hugely popular with young athletes and fans alike, and provided the IGF, World Rugby and the IOC with vital experience of staging golf and rugby sevens competitions within an Olympic setting.“Nanjing 2014 was a very important step for both sports,” explains IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell. “Firstly, they added value to the Nanjing Games in the same way that they will in Rio next year. Equally, it provided us with the opportunity to work with the two sports federations in an Olympic environment. It was a very important process and an incredibly helpful experience for us as we build towards Rio 2016.”Both International Federations (IFs) were also pleased with the response their sports received in Nanjing during the YOG. “It was wonderful to see those young athletes in Nanjing in that Olympic environment,” says Mark Egan, World Rugby’s Head of Competitions and Performance. “It was great for us as a federation to be involved in that Olympic set-up.”Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the IGF, adds: “The Youth Olympic Games were extremely helpful and there were many lessons that have been taken from this and placed within our plans for Rio 2016.” BelowThe Rio 2016 Olympic Golf Course will become a public facility after the GamesGOLYMPIC REVIEW 61