Olympics-Rugby-Olympics a "game-changer" for growth of game

By Nick Mulvenney RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Rugby's return to the Olympics after a gap of 92 years is a "game-changer" for the sport as it looks to break out of its traditional heartlands, World Rugby chiefs said on the eve of the tournament on Friday. Rugby last appeared in the 15-man version of the men's game at the 1924 Olympics but returns in the shorter sevens format for men and women at the purpose-built Deodoro Stadium in Rio. "It's massive," World Rugby's Argentine vice chairman Agustin Pichot told reporters. "It's the right moment, the IOC is looking to engage young fans and rugby is at this moment we're on the same page. We want a fast, dynamic sport. "Being here in a Latin country in South America it's a great statement, it's among the top things in the evolution of rugby over the last 20, 30 years. We have a big opportunity to grow rugby very big." Chairman Bill Beaumont was equally excited to be back in the Olympic fold and said the return to the Games had already had a "profound effect" on the sport, which at the elite level has long been restricted to the Anglo-Saxon world and France. "Participation has doubled to 7.73 million, with dramatic growth in new and emerging rugby nations," the former England captain said. "Women's rugby participation in particular has grown from 10 percent of the (rugby-playing) population to over 30 percent." Beaumont said he hoped the "unprecedented global audience" for rugby provided by the Olympics would lead to a surge in youngsters, particularly girls, wanting to take up the game. "I'm hoping and am pretty confident that clubs will be inundated at the start of next season in Europe with girls wanting to play rugby," he added. "I think it'll be the biggest kickstart the game of rugby has had, especially for the women and girls, and it's up to clubs, if they're very sensible, to realise that there's a fantastic opportunity for them to create a new market." Rugby's place at the Games will be reviewed after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but chief executive Brett Gosper was confident the sport would meet the criteria for inclusion beyond that. Chief among those will be the number of fans that turn out to watch rugby. Gosper was encouraged by pre-tournament ticket sales and thought the high number of "no-shows" at some of the early soccer matches in Brazil would not be replicated in rugby. "We believe that we're around two thirds in percentage of sales at this point, which is a high clip," the Australian said. "Selecting rugby is a pretty positive, assertive gesture by the Brazilian public and I think there will be the turnout we're expecting." (Editing by Ed Osmond)