The two newest additions to the sports lineups of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics were announced on Friday: Rugby and Golf. IOC President Jacques Rogge said, “Both golf and rugby are very popular sports with global appeal and a strong ethic. They will be great additions to the Games.”
This will be the first time rugby will officially be in the Olympics since the 1924 Paris games. And this is golf’s first Olympic games since the 1904 St. Louis games. Rugby will be in the Sevens format (quickly, it’s 7 men instead of 15, 3-man scrums, and it’s 7 or 10 minute halves) and Golf, as of now, is in the standard PGA tour format.
If anything, Tiger Woods, who’s notorious for hating team-formats, is going to be happy with that last bit of news. Question is whether or not the then 41 (stupid math) 40 year-old Woods will be able to add to the USA’s medal count. And rugby… well, hey, the last time they held the sport, the USA got the gold, so there’s no reason (aside from the 92 years in-between events) to expect anything other than a USA victory!
No word on whether or not they’ll also be judging the Third Half, or Zulus.
on Oct 11th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I can understand why they would put in rugby. However, I cannot fathom a reason why they would put the mind and energy draining sport commonly known as golf. All I see is 2-5 men taking swings at this tiny white ball that flys through the air for a few hundred yards. The smallest bit of wind knocks it off course. You then see those gentlemen taking a zillion puts to get the damn thing into the hole, no pun intended.
What’s next, crochet?
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Tiger Woods was born in 75. He’s not 41 yet, and neither am I.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Nick, you are right
Tiger Woods will be only 40 during the 2016 Olympics, because he was born on December 30, 1975.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Curses. Foiled again!
on Oct 23rd, 2009 at 10:10 am
For the record, the US has NO chance of winning the Rugby 7’s tournament.
One of the best things about the Rugby 7’s choice, is that it throws nations who otherwise are not generally good at winning medals in a distinct chance - like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga (not to mention New Zealand - who I’m personally biased towards).
The US is ranked 13th in Rugby 7’s, behind nations like NZ, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Wales (who wouldn’t be a separate nation in the Olympics). It would be wonderful for more medals to hit the nations of the pacific. Rugby really is their national sport.