England Women’s Sevens captain Sue Day may have hung up her boots by the time 2016 comes around, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t keeping her fingers crossed that Rugby’s campaign for re-inclusion in the Olympic Games is successful.
A veteran of 59 Tests since her debut in 1997 and England Women’s record try scorer, Day is under no illusions as to what that inclusion will mean not just for the Women’s Game, but Rugby as a whole across the world.
“Sevens is the ideal Olympic team sport - it's fast and exciting, it's played all over the world and you have to be at absolute peak of physical condition to play it successfully,” explained Day.
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“What it would bring, not just to the Women's Game I think but to the Game as a whole, is a level of prestige and an acknowledgement of the hard work and skill level of the individuals and teams who play Sevens.
“You play sport at the highest level to challenge yourself to be the best that you can possibly be and to compete with the best from all over the world, and what better stage to do that on than at the Olympics?”
Having played in three Women’s Rugby World Cups and captained England to the RBS Six Nations Grand Slam in 2007 – the second of what has now become three in a row – Day knows that at 36 years old her days of playing on the international stage are numbered.
An enthusiastic supporter
However that just means that Day will be an enthusiastic supporter on the sidelines, happy to cheer on her former team-mates as they grace the biggest stage of all, the Olympic Games, if the International Rugby Board’s goal is realised.
“Personally I would see the chance to be part of the Olympics as an enormous honour, as the chance to be part of history, to pit myself against the best, as a team to measure ourselves against the best.
“Sevens is a highly skilful sport, hugely physically demanding and I truly think that it deserves to be part of the Olympics so I would gain a great deal of satisfaction from that finally being acknowledged.
“Unfortunately, however, if and when Sevens becomes an Olympic sport it will be too late for me – as a player at least! I don’t think that there are many more international playing years left in these legs.
“I will have to make do with watching extremely proudly from the sidelines as the girls I used to play with show what they can do on the Olympic stage!”
A tremendous impact for rugby
Day’s immediate focus is trying to help England be crowned the first women’s champions at RWC Sevens 2009 in Dubai from 5-7 March, although the same goes for Natascha Wesch, the Canada Women’s Sevens coach who is also adamant that Olympic recognition would do wonders for rugby in her country.
“Within the Rugby community, Rugby is huge, but outside that community not many see it as high profile – we have hockey, basketball, soccer and winter sports like skiing,” explained Wesch, who played for the Canadian Women’s national side between 1992 and 2002.
“If Rugby could be back in the Olympics it would bring a whole new level of, I don’t know if respect is the right word, but understanding that this is a an amazing game that can expose men and women of all shapes and sizes to international sport.
“At the top level within these, the Olympic Games would bring a profile to game within Canada and with being an Olympic sport a lot more funding is available to athletes if they are part of an Olympic sport.
“Given our women are ‘pay to play’, more funding would be immense and bring more athletes because they know you have the Olympics. For athletes and coaches it would mean extra resources, for competing and training, and not having to hold down three or four part time jobs just to survive.
“That would have a tremendous impact for rugby.”
