World Rugby CEO Keeps Pressure on Rio 2016

(ATR)World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper says there will be no let up on Rio 2016 to deliver on its promises for rugby at the Olympics.

Gosper was speaking at the Sports Industry Breakfast Club in London. He said that although preparations looked to be "back on track" in the Deodoro zone, World Rugby would not give Olympic organisers an easy ride.

"Some of our staff have been out there and it does appear to be on track," he said. "I think myself and [World Rugby president] Bernard Lapasset are due to go out there in June for a final one-year-to-go check."

The IOC and eight summer Olympic federations who are presenting their sports at Deodoro, the second Olympic park, have expressed concerns over the past year about delays in preparations at the site. However, their fears appear to be easing as Rio 2016 ramps up construction work.

"We are confident that everything will be in place as we’d like it to be. We have a stadium that will be put up a few months before the event so we have less worry of major infrastructure," he said.

"But we think the atmosphere around the Deodoro zone with the eight sports will be spectacular. We’ll keep the pressure up, as the IOC are keeping the pressure up, on our particular area."

A temporary arena will be erected for rugby’s first inclusion in the Olympics since the 1924 Paris Games.

Rugby World Cup Issues

Rugby sevens will take place over two days in Rio next year, and will be part of the Tokyo 2020 Games as well – following on from the Rugby World Cup in Japan the previous year. England stages this year's Rugby World Cup.

Several countries are now turning their attentions to bidding for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. South Africa and Ireland have expressed an interest in hosting the tournament.

What may not be a part of the 2023 Rugby World Cup is secondary ticket sales after criticism that tickets for matches at this year’s showpiece in England were being sold at greatly inflated prices – thousands of dollars in some cases.

Gosper admitted this was a problem and that World Rugby adoption of the IOC model stipulating that a host country outlaw secondary ticket sales was "very possible".

"Definitely. This is why you learn from each World Cup and I think there are some learnings there that would be very much part of evaluation from now on," he said.

The Australian also hinted at expanding the 2023 tournament to include more teams.

Currently 20 teams compete in the Rugby World Cup, but Gosper said that that could grow "as the sport grows and we conquer new markets, the discussion is about looking towards expanding [of the World Cup], rather than contracting".

He said this would not mean a longer tournament as there would be "ways of figuring out the different pools and matches" to ensure it remained a six-week event.

Reported by Christian Radnedge in London

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