The dates for the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013
have been confirmed.
The event, which will take place in Moscow
from 28-30 June, will see 24 men’s teams vying for the coveted
Melrose Cup, while the top 16 women’s teams in the world will also
compete at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Three years out from Rugby Sevens’ Olympic
Games debut at the Rio Games, the showcase event will provide a
compelling indication of form for the world’s top Rugby Sevens
nations and underscore the ever-increasing global competitiveness
in both men’s and women’s Sevens.
Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier
international competition contested by the men’s and women’s
national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament
was held in 1993 in Scotland, the birthplace of Rugby Sevens, and
the 2013 edition will be the sixth in the tournament’s history.
Wales are the current men’s world champions having won the
tournament in Dubai in 2009 with Australia having taken the inaugural women’s title. Fiji has won the men’s tournament twice
with New Zealand and England also having won the title.
The men’s
winner is awarded the Melrose Cup, named after the Scottish town
where Rugby Sevens was first played.
The ambassadors for
the event have also been unveiled as Russian players Vladimir
Ostroushko, Vasily Artemyev, Anastasia Mukharyamova and Elena
Shevtsova.
“The IRB has shown great vision by entrusting
the running of this great tournament to us,” said Vyacheslav
Kopiev, Rugby Union of Russia President. “We have made
real progress in recent years and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 will
be the next step along the way to Russia becoming a Rugby
superpower. Indeed, our national team’s performances at the recent
Rugby World Cup in New Zealand showed the world how far we have
already come along the way.”
The Rugby Union of Russia, the
city of Moscow and the Russian Government will work together to
host an event that will showcase the best of Russia and the very
best of Rugby Sevens.
“We are committed to delivering an
exceptional event. We hope to welcome supporters from other
countries to Moscow while also engaging the local population and
switching them on to Rugby Sevens,” added Kopiev.
See also:
Pictures from 2012 Hong Kong Sevens
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