The campaign for Rugby Sevens' inclusion in the Olympic Games stepped up a gear on Thursday with the International Rugby Board's team arriving in Denmark's capital city Copenhagen to prepare for the presentation to the International Olympic Committee membership on 9 October.
Over the next nine days the team, led by IRB President Bernard Lapasset, will fine tune its 20-minute presentation which will be made to the 106-strong IOC membership during its session at Bella Centre.
The team took time out of their busy schedule to attend a children's Tag Rugby demonstration in the city's historic square to help launch the Danish Rugby Union's Play Rugby initiative.
Kazakhstan women's captain Anastassiya Khamova, Australia women's captain Cheryl Soon and Humphrey Kayange, Kenya Sevens captain, spent an hour playing non-contact Tag Rugby with over 50 boys and girls from a number of Rugby clubs based in or around Copenhagen, before signing autographs, posing for photographs and talking about their Rugby experiences.
Soon, Australia's Rugby World Cup Sevens winning captain, showed the children her gold medal from Dubai and expressed her joy at the strong attendance despite the bitter early winter weather.
Showcasing Rugby in Denmark
"It was incredible to see so many boys and girls playing rugby and enjoying themselves," admitted Soon. "It is clear to see that Rugby is making an impression here in Denmark, truly underlining the universality of the sport."
"It was wonderful to see so many girls taking part and when I showed them my gold medal they were really excited, that was awesome. They were all telling me that they wanted to see Rugby Sevens become an Olympic sport."
Rugby in Denmark is growing thanks to the hard work of the Union, which has Prince Joachim as its Patron, with numbers increasing year on year as Rugby reaches out to new audiences in the country.
"This event will provide a big boost to the Danish Rugby Union," said Union Secretary General Inger Marie Godvin. "We are launching a new initiative called Play Rugby and we are hoping to showcase the sport to a wider audience in Denmark."
"Rugby is definitely growing here, and that is really exciting. Olympic inclusion for Rugby Sevens would certainly provide a big boost for our men's and women's programmes."
Rugby Sevens faces a massive week in the run-up to the IOC vote in Copenhagen on 9 October, when it will be decided whether the sport will be admitted to the 2016 Olympic Games.
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