Dubai: The countdown to the 2014 Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens clicked into gear as organisers on Sunday announced the 16 teams who will contest the December 4-6 extravaganza at The Sevens stadium.
The three-day event, now in its 45th year, is one of the biggest and most colourful events on the Dubai sporting calendar. It attracts the world’s best players and thousands of tourists, with more than 100,000 expected to attend this year.
The UAE showpiece is the second event on the HSBC Sevens World Series tour, following on from the opener in Australia, which will take place next month. There is an extra incentive for the competing teams this season as the top four finishers in the series will secure a coveted place at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The competition is expected to attract not only the top sevens players in the world, but could also see some of the world’s best 15s players make the switch to sevens to vie for Olympic selection.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced that the team line-up this year will include defending world series champions New Zealand, 2013 Dubai champions Fiji and 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallists South Africa, along with England, Australia, Samoa, Wales, France, Canada, Kenya, Argentina, Scotland, USA and Portugal.
After finishing in 15th place last year, Spain have been replaced by the winners of the qualifying tournament, Japan. Rounding out the 16 are newcomers Brazil, who will make their debut this year after earning their place as hosts of the 2016 Olympics.
Dubai will also play host to the first round of the six-leg IRB Women’s Sevens World Series and the seven teams who qualified as core teams from last season’s series are: defending series champions New Zealand, Dubai defending champions Australia, as well as England, Canada, USA, Russia and Spain.
Fiji, China, France and South Africa also won their way through to the line-up after the qualification tournament in Hong Kong in September, with the remaining place in each round open to an invited team.
The women will also be vying for qualification for the Olympic Games, with the top four finishers in the 2014/15 series earning a berth in Rio.
In addition, more than 200 teams will take part in Dubai’s invitation tournament, which is divided into 15 categories and will attract many top international men and women, as well as under-18s, local Emirati, social and veterans teams.
The action off the pitch will also be a highlight of the event, with spectators encouraged to come in fancy dress and enjoy the range of entertainment on offer in the Rugby Village. There will be dedicated family seating, child care facilities and plenty of activities.
“We are very proud of our reputation as a great event for families and for those who are not necessarily die-hard rugby supporters — we have invested in creating a truly carnival atmosphere, with a designated family entrance, 2,000 seats set aside in the Air BP family stand, creche facilities and entertainment for children throughout the day,” said Gary Chapman, President Group Services and dnata, Emirates Group.
“Interest in the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens just grows and grows and every year it becomes more popular, not just in Dubai, but with visitors from all over the world.
“It really is a great showcase for Dubai, a fantastic sporting occasion with the world’s top players on show, and it’s always a wonderful atmosphere,” he said. “This year the competition promises to be tougher than ever with qualification for the Olympics on offer. The standard of play will be exceptional.”
Tickets will go on sale on October 15. For more information log on to dubairugby7s.com.
