セブンスラグビーを、オリンピック種目に～

日本人はオリンピックが大好き。そして、バレーボールも大好き（笑）

男女共に本大会への出場が決まり、いよいよオリンピックモード前回ですね

実はIRB(サッカーでいうところのFIFA)で、7人制ラグビーを、オリンピックの正式種目に使用との働きかけを本格化しています

http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/news/newsid=2024836.html#rugby olympic games

In October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the International Olympic Committee will vote on which city should host the 2016 Summer Games. The field is down to four candidate cities: Chicago (USA), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Madrid (Spain) and Tokyo (Japan).

2009年10月に、2016年のオリンピック開催地が、デンマークのコペンハーゲンで決定される予定です

The IOC will also vote on the composition of the sports programme for the 2016 Olympic Games as it seeks to modernise the Games. The IRB believes Rugby should be reintroduced to the Games following its last appearance in 1924 in Paris.

ＩＯＣは同時に、2016年大会の正式種目についても決定する予定です。IRBは、1924年のパリ大会以来、正式種目から外されているラグビーの復活は必然の流れであると信じています

The Beijing Games in 2008 will　comprise 28 sports. However, at  the IOC session in Singapore in 2005 baseball and softball were voted out of the sports programme for London 2012 during a process the IOC had set up to start a modernisation of the sports programme. Unfortunately in Singapore the IOC chose not to include any new sports for London 2012 from a shortlist of Rugby, karate, squash, golf and roller sports.

2012年のロンドン大会から、野球とソフトボールが正式種目から外れました。しかし、代替スポーツの決定は見送られました。ラグビー、空手、スカッシュなどが候補に挙がっていました。 

The IOC has continued to review the sports programme for the Summer Games and is now committed to having 28 sports in the 2016 Olympic Games. Rugby is again on a shortlist of sports for inclusion that also includes baseball, softball, karate, squash, golf and roller sports.

ＩＯＣは2016年大会の正式種目を、見直す作業を続けています。野球やソフトボールの復活議論と同時に、ラグビーの可能性も模索しています

Why Rugby and which form of the Game

7人制ラグビーを推薦する理由

The Olympic Games only lasts 16 days. Staging a credible Fifteens competition in that period is not feasible and therefore the IRB believes Rugby Sevens (men and women’s tournaments) would be the ideal form of the Game for Olympic inclusion in 2016.

オリンピックの開催期間は僅か、１６日間しかありません。現実的に15人制ラグビーの開催は不可能であり、7人制ラグビーが注目を集める事になります

After all it has a proven formula highlighted by its participation in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, World Games and from 2010 the Pan American Games. Talks are also underway to have it included in the African Games in the near future. Add to this the fact that we also have a Sevens Rugby World Cup heritage and the highly successful annual IRB Sevens World Series it is not hard to see why Sevens make sense.

コモンウェルスゲームや、アジア大会などでも7人制ラグビーは正式種目になっています。また7人制ラグビーのワールドカップは大成功を収めていますし、毎年開催されているIRB主催のワールドシリーズも人気を博しています

A recent review of Rugby Sevens by the IRB has shown that participating Unions believe it is a valuable tool for developing talent, developing specific skill sets and a sport that has the potential to open up new markets around the world. Markets that will assist in the continued global spread of Rugby.

7人制ラグビーの国際大会に参加する事により、各国選手のスキル向上につながり、また、ラグビーが世界に普及する為の第一歩を開くことにもなります

And that is what getting Rugby Sevens into the Olympic Games is all about and what is written down in the IRB Strategic Plan in terms of the organisation’s mission statement …” to create an environment in which Member Unions can flourish by developing and expanding the game globally.”

7人制ラグビーがオリンピック種目に採用される事により、ラグビーユニオンへの参加国が増え、また、グローバルスポーツとして認識される日も近づいてくるでしょう

Rugby Sevens has experienced substantial growth in recent years that has mirrored the overall global growth of our great sport. It is a fast, action-packed sport that is played by boys, girls, men and women of all shapes, sizes, religion and creed.

性別や体格、宗教や信条に関わりなく、7人制ラグビーは世界中で愛されるスポーツになる過程を経験してきました

The IRB Sevens World Series delivers a wonderful mix of speed, guile, world-class athletes and exotic international locations making it a well attended, colourful and a popular feature on the annual world sporting calendar. The IRB believes these outstanding attributes should see Sevens admitted to the Olympic Games in the future.

ワールドシリーズ（7人制ラグビー）には世界のトップアスリートが集結し、世界各地より熱心なファンが会場に足を運んでいます

Rugby Sevens

The statistics speak for themselves.

Rugby Sevens’ brand of fast-paced action, world class players and global locations is attractive to sports fans worldwide. Last season’s IRB Sevens World Series attracted crowds in excess of 250,000, with Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005 in Hong Kong attracting 120,000 supporters over the three competition days. A record crowd of 50,000 attended the final session of the Rugby Sevens Tournament at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and with 150,000 tickets sold over two days it was the second most watched sport at the games after athletics.

ワールドシリーズ2006年－25万人以上の観客を動員

7人制ワールドカップ2005年（香港）－12万人以上の観客動員（3日間）

コモンウェルスゲーム2006年決勝－5万人の観客動員

*チケット販売：１５万件（陸上に続く人気スポーツ）

Sevens is the ideal vehicle for developing new rugby talent in emerging nations and its growing appeal is mirrored by record broadcast figures. The Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong enjoyed 160 hours of live broadcast coverage in 37 countries and an additional 40 hours of delayed broadcast coverage in a further 63 countries. There were 9.56 million hits on the Tournament-specific website. In March 2009 Dubai in the Middle East will host the next Sevens Rugby World Cup.

7人制ワールドカップ（香港大会）の映像は、37カ国以上の国々に配信された。（生放送・160時間）。録画放送も含めると、合計63カ国以上に配信実績があります

The 2006/07 IRB Sevens World Series was very competitive. It was televised by 30 international broadcasters in 11 different languages and reached 213 million homes (up 24 million on 2005/06) in 137 countries (up 1), and had a potential global cumulative reach of over 530 million (up 45 million). Live coverage increased dramatically during the season with 911 hours of action (up 72%)

06/07シーズンの映像は、計30の国際放送局により、11種類の異なる言語により、137カ国の視聴者に配信され、2億1,300万世帯に到達しました。生放送の割合も劇的に増加し、前シーズンと比較すると、72％の増加になります

Impressed? Well most people are when they look at the facts but unfortunately there is a lot of ignorance about the development importance of Sevens, its global spread and the fact that it is a sport in its own right. The present challenge for the IRB is to get this message across to the IOC strong and clear and it needs the full support of the entire Rugby community if it is to be successful in its ambition of seeing Rugby return to the Olympic Games.

とても印象深い内容だったかも知れませんが、殆どの人々には事実が伝わっていません。IRBの使命は、オリンピックを通じて、ラグビーの魅力を世界中の人々に伝える事です

The entire Rugby community has to be united in the drive to see Rugby, via Sevens, readmitted to the Olympic Games.

What would it mean to Rugby

Entry into the Olympic Games could prove to be the key to unlocking countries such as USA, Russia, China, and Germany where government funding of sport is largely dependent on Olympic Games participation. In all probability it would mean financial support, access to training facilities, academies, etc, and elevate the status of Rugby as a sport in these countries.

正式にオリンピック種目として採用されれば、アメリカ、ロシア、中国、ドイツなどのラグビーが盛んでない国々の政府が、ラグビー強化の為に本腰を入れる事になる事になるでしょう

An Olympic Games Sevens tournament – one for men and one for women - would be the pinnacle of the sport of Sevens Rugby. The Fifteens game already has the Rugby World Cup. Rugby Sevens would give smaller developing Unions in regions such as Asia, Oceania and Africa an unprecedented chance to compete and win medals. The best example is the fact that Fiji is the reigning Rugby World Cup Sevens champion.

15人制のワールドカップでは既に大成功を収めていますが、7人制ラグビーがオリンピック種目になる事により、アジアやオセアニア、そしてアフリカ諸国がメダルを手にすることも不可能ではありません。フィジーなどのような小さな国が、世界の頂点立てることは、7人制のワールドカップが証明してくれました