It must have come as a huge relief to all competing nations that World Rugby has stepped in with funding to help them prepare properly for the Olympic Sevens next year. It’s not only the smaller unions who are suffering from lack of income. The richest of the lot, the RFU, recently stopped its backing of both its Sevens squads to widespread consternation.
Perhaps they already knew that this fairy godmother would smile on them.
Now we must wonder whether similar generosity will meet the needs of the nations hoping to compete in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Here the expenditure involved is much higher: there are more players and more back-up staff to support; nations competing in the qualifying stages have huge distances to cover to fulfil their commitments. They include teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and South America. Air travel alone will cost huge sums.
It’s a well-known fact that all national sporting associations are looking at mountainous losses. What is less obvious is how the biggest international organisations like the IOC and World Rugby are faring. Will their pockets eventually empty before the pandemic is over?
