Olympics-Rugby-Successful Rio return gives rugby confidence in Games future

By Jack Stubbs RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - After a 92-year wait, rugby is on the cusp of making a full-time return to the Olympics, World Rugby chiefs said on Thursday at the close of the inaugural Rio sevens tournament which has been scrutinised by the gatekeepers of the Games. Rugby last appeared as the 15-man version of the men's game at the 1924 Olympics but returned in the shorter sevens format for men and women in Brazil, staging a competition which would decide its future in the Olympic line up. The sport already has a place at the 2020 Games in Tokyo but had to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Rio it would be worthy of inclusion in 2024 and beyond. World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said he was hopeful the IOC would give his sport the green light after its strong showing in Rio. "Nobody in world rugby ... is conceited enough to think that we've got a divine right to be here, but I do think we have showcased our sport on the world stage," he said. "Hopefully we've earned the right to be a permanent sport," he added. "All the (IOC) people I've spoken to have been nothing but encouraging." Hosted at the purpose-built Deodoro Stadium, rugby sevens has been a crowd-pleasing, standout success in the first week of the Rio Games, vying for attention with the traditional headline acts in the pool and gymnastics arena. CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE Rio has also embraced the fancy-dress, carnival atmosphere seen at many sevens tournaments, with broad-chested men in cropped dresses and fairy wings swilling beer while taking selfies with players a common sight around the venue. Fiji took gold in the final on Thursday, crushing Britain 43-7 to claim their country's first Olympic medal, while Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama cheered from the stands alongside fans in tribal dress who danced, chanted and sang. After the match, children hung from the railings by the player's entrance, clamouring for an autograph or photo. "I want to thank the Olympic Committee for including rugby sevens in the Olympics," Bainimarama told reporters. "We hope the brand of rugby we played today has justified the inclusion of rugby." World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said fan engagement as well as spectator numbers and broadcast figures would the main criteria judged by the IOC, at an Olympics where some venues have been marred by low turnout. Despite host nation Brazil playing to half-filled stands on the first day of the women's tournament, Gosper said attendance had grown to between 75 and 85 percent capacity for the rest of the competition. The women's final drew a record crowd of 12,000. "We're getting a full house," he said. "We're missing by a thousand or two perhaps but to us it's a full house. That's punching above most of the sports here." (Editing by Peter Rutherford; )