Rugby deserves Olympic Sport Status

Rugby deserves to be an Olympic sport says Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Union(TTRFU) secretary Brian Lewis.

Lewis who is also the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC)secretary general believes that the IOC membership may not be aware of it but they are perceived as being discriminatory , unfair and overly subjective in how they decide which sports get on to the Olympic programme.

According to Lewis Rugby is a sport played by men and women across all five IOC Continental region, that will bring its best athletes to the Olympic games and does not have a performance enhancing drug culture .

"The pathway has to be transparent and objective.In so far as a sport meets the IRB criteria and it is not on the Olympic programme in any form or fashion that sport should be given the opportunity to be on the Olympic programme" said Lewis.

Lewis view is that despite the work done by the IOC Programme Commission the IOC members make the decision and therefore the risk of personal likes and dislikes impacting on the decision making process is a reality.

Rugby union football was held at the Olympics in 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924.But has been out of the Olympic Games since.In 2005 the IRB's efforts to get rugby on to the Olympic games was rejected by the IOC membership

The IOC will next review the Olympic programme in 2009.

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