Rugby Chief Confident in Rio 2016 Project -- On-the-Scene

(ATR) Bernard Lapasset tells Around the Rings he is not worried about the impact of Rio 2016’s sluggish preparations on rugby sevens's debut at the Olympics.

The IOC has expressed concerns in the past year about the pace of progress across the project, with the design and development of the Deodoro Park venue a particular headache.

Rio 2016 organizers face a race against the clock to develop the second Olympics hub where rugby and seven others sports will be staged.

Lapasset, chairman of the International Rugby Board, is aware of the time crunch to create an Olympic park that both meets the demands of the individual sports and integrates them well.

Speaking to ATR at the IRB’s World Rugby Conference in Dublin, the Frenchman said the 20,000-seat temporary venue for rugby sevens "will be a fantastic stadium."

"They need to create a second Olympic park. I am very confident ... they have to deliver the best. I am sure it will be successful," he said, noting that one of the crucial elements was the creation of the spectator zone and the presentation of sports in the park.

He said it is vital that rugby sevens make a big statement in its Olympic debut.

"We need to deliver a strong tournament in Rio 2016."

The Games represented a "fantastic" platform for sevens and an opportunity to grow the game globally, Lapasset added.

In the build-up to the Rio Olympics, he said the IRB planned to reach out to IOC members "to show them what we do" with sevens "to create knowledge between the sport and the IOC so, at the Olympic Games, they know the players."

IOC members will be invited to get a taste for the exciting short form of rugby 15s at events in the men’s and women’s HSBC Sevens World Series and Olympic qualification tournaments.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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