Men's sevens stars begin game-changing year ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Rugby sevens' biggest and game-changing year has kicked off with the world's top men's players competing in the opening round of the new-look 2015-16 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai today.

Rugby sevens is reaching and inspiring new audiences in record numbers, with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games the target for the finest players on the planet. Adding to the excitement, the 2015-16 series will feature five new iconic locations and a host of Rugby World Cup stars in what promises to be a game-changing year for the sport.

Cape Town, Sydney, Vancouver, Singapore and Paris will join as host cities across a 10-stop series that looks set to be the most exciting, best-attended and most-viewed series ever as the teams race to claim the prestigious title of series champions ahead of the Olympic Games.

For both men and women, the combined points from the 2014-15 and 2015-16 series seasons will be used to determine the seedings for the pools at the Olympic Games.

A must-see on the global sporting calendar, the 2014-15 series attracted a record 650,000 fans across the nine series events, while World Rugby is anticipating global attendances to break the 700,000 mark for the first time in 2015-16. The growth trend is anticipated to be evident across World Rugby's digital and social platforms where video views of sevens content topped 28 million and Facebook and Twitter reached 80 million fans during the last series.

World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "During 2016, we have a golden opportunity to reach, engage and inspire new audiences as rugby sevens makes its Olympic Games debut. The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series has been at the heart of the rugby sevens success story, delivering record audiences, viewers and social engagement and it will play a major role in this, sevens' biggest-ever year."

"The winning blend of star players, breath-taking skill and speed, and vibrant, festival atmosphere across an expanded calendar of 10 iconic locations, is once again poised to demonstrate why the sport is a perfect fit for the Olympic Games."

And with the opportunity to compete for an Olympic medal on sport's biggest stage proving to be too big to miss, the stars of the game are looking forward to the challenge ahead.

USA Sevens speedster Carlin Isles said: "We are all so excited to get this season underway. With the Olympics coming up, each stop is going to be a huge opportunity for every player and coach to see where they stack up amongst the world's best. This is going to be one of, if not the most entertaining seasons for sevens rugby, and I just can't wait to get started and share the experience with our fans across the world."

With just nine months to go until Rio 2016, multiple Olympic gold medallist and athletics legend Michael Johnson is in Dubai to lend support and encouragement to the world's top rugby sevens players as they start their sprint to Rio.

Johnson said: "I'm looking forward to Dubai, meeting the sport's fans and, of course, the players. From all my years in athletics, I know just what it means to compete for your country at the highest level, particularly in an Olympic Games. The start of this season is a huge moment for them and it's a huge moment for the sport.

"Dubai, as the starting block for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, is sure to be a supercharged tournament that will set the tone for 10 ground breaking months of rugby, so I can't wait to get involved."

With 10 iconic destinations, star players and record broadcast and fan appeal, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is going from strength to strength and underpinning its global development is a new, enhanced commercial model that sees HSBC increase its commitment to the sport as title sponsors of both the men's and women's series while DHL has extended its partnership with both series, underscoring the appeal of rugby sevens in the global sporting marketplace.

Giles Morgan, Global Head of Sponsorship and Events at HSBC, said: "HSBC has been a committed, long-term supporter of rugby around the world, but this feels like a pivotal moment for the game. The opportunity over the next 10 months is huge. World Rugby, unions and sponsors are committed to converting the opportunity. The gold medal for rugby will be to use Rio 2016 as a catalyst to drive even greater growth, participation and engagement in the game."

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