Penn State Rugby in the Olympics
In 2016, rugby was reintroduced to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after a 92-year hiatus. The last time rugby was played in the Olympics was in 1924, when the USA defeated France for the Gold Medal in Paris in a Fifteens match. Fun fact: the 1924 Olympics was popularized by the Academy Award-winning British film, Chariots of Fire.
The seven-a-side variant of rugby (“Sevens”) had been played since the late 1800s, but not in a worldwide competition until 2000. The tournament circuit provided a version of the sport with established competition, a much shorter match duration and recovery time, and non-stop action. It also provided countries like Kenya, Samoa, and Fiji opportunities to compete successfully with the traditional top rugby nations in the world. It was an immediate success and deemed a natural fit for future Olympics.
The 2020 Olympics took place in Tokyo in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic; Kayla Canett became Penn State’s first Rugby Olympian to play for the USA.
Did you play rugby at Penn State?
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