Black Ferns Sevens celebrate winning gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Photo: Iain McGregor / www.photosport.nz
New Zealand Rugby is disappointed Sevens has been dropped from the next Commonwealth Games after the success of the sport at the Paris Olympics.
A scaled-back Games of ten sports has been confirmed for Glasgow 2026 with rugby sevens, hockey, squash, road cycling, mountain biking and wrestling among the sports to be axed.
New Zealand Rugby's Chris Lendrum said the decision to leave sevens out of the Games was a blow.
Chris Lendrum. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
"Absolutely there's disappointment for our players and our coaches and staff and our fans as well," Lendrum said.
"We've understood for quite some time that there were challenges around the 2026 Commonwealth Games and that there was likely to be a limited menu of sports offered for the Games. We were really hopeful that we would be one of them given the enormous success of sevens at the Paris Olympics, but sadly it's not to be."
Sevens has been a profitable sport for Aotearoa since it was introduced at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games, with New Zealand winning six gold medals.
The All Blacks Sevens have won five golds, while the Black Ferns Sevens have won a gold and bronze in the two Games that the women's event has been staged.
The Commonwealth Games gold medal winning All Black Sevens. Photo: Photosport
Lendrum said both those teams will be upset by sevens being cut from the Glasgow programme.
"We go to these tournaments to win. The Commonwealth Games has always been a pinnacle event that our teams have targeted. We've got a proud history at those events and a really large number of quality international teams attend the event as well, so it's a tournament of real significance for us."
Sevens does have an annual World Series, its own World Cup and is in the Olympics after debuting at the 2016 Rio Games.
Stacey Waaka. Photo: Iain McGregor / www.photosport.nz
However, Lendrum doesn't believe that would have counted against sevens case for inclusion at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
"I don't think that rugby's participation in the Olympics or other World Series events would have an impact (on its inclusion). If anything, participation in the Olympics illustrated how positive the impact of rugby was on that event. So if it was a straight look at impact I think we'd be there," Lendrum said.
Glasgow, who held the Games in 2014, stepped in as hosts after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out of hosting due to costs.
Lendrum said a need to save money meant some sports were always going to miss out.
"It has been a really challenging time for the Commonwealth Games Federation and we respect the fact that their doing the best that they can and making decisions in the best interests of the Games in 2026.
"I'm not privy to the exact rationale other than we know the organisers have been seeking to compress a number of sports into multi-use venues and a really large rectangular field sport like rugby, perhaps they couldn't find other uses for such a venue and maybe that's why we've suffered."
Lendrum hopes there will be another iteration of the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and he hopes sevens will be back on the programme.
"Absolutely. It's always been a pinnacle event for our men's and women's sevens teams. We have a really proud history at the Commonwealth Games and I know our players and coaches and support staff would love the opportunity to build on that legacy," Lendrum said.
Glasgow 2026 will host athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, lawn bowls and para bowls, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball.
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