Rugby Canada is bidding to host the Olympics qualifier sevens event in Langford in August 2023.

The event would see 12 teams take to the field at Starlight Stadium later this year, as they bid to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The announcement was part of a presentation given to Langford city council during MondayB次元官网网址檚 (March 6) meeting, during which Nathan Bombrys, chief executive officer at Rugby Canada, reaffirmed the organizationB次元官网网址檚 commitment to working with the city.

ALSO READ: Independent review paints damning, dysfunctional picture of Rugby Canada

Rugby Canada moved their headquarters to Langford in 2013 and established its national training centre in the city in 2018. Since then, a number of development programs have been moved or established out of the centre.

But this year, the womenB次元官网网址檚 sevens event was moved to Vancouver to be hosted on the same weekend as the menB次元官网网址檚 event, after a request from the sportB次元官网网址檚 governing body World Rugby, according to former interim CEO Jamie Levchuk.

An independent review of Rugby CanadaB次元官网网址檚 high-performance programs released in March 2022 cited problems some athletes had with Rugby Canada basing its operations and athletes in Langford on Vancouver Island.

B次元官网网址淟angford is not viewed as a positive place to live with it being framed as B次元官网网址榚xpensiveB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址榠solated,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� it says.

The teams themselves have not hit the heights of previous years.

The womenB次元官网网址檚 team finished sixth in the Vancouver Sevens while the menB次元官网网址檚 team finished 15th. The men came into the tournament sitting 14th in the World Rugby Sevens Series standings and are fighting to avoid relegation, with the number of menB次元官网网址檚 core teams for the 2024 season set to be cut from 16 to 12, to match the womenB次元官网网址檚 side and the Olympic competition structure.

The men needed to reach the quarterfinals of the next four tournaments B次元官网网址� while managing wins when playing the teams ahead of them B次元官网网址� to gain enough points to climb into 11th place or better and avoid playing in a relegation playoff.

The top four menB次元官网网址檚 and womenB次元官网网址檚 teams at the end of the season will qualify automatically for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

READ MORE: Canadian teams out of rugby sevens medal hunt

bailey.moreton@goldstreamgazette.com
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