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“Rugby League was a game whose laws had been codified by workers in the forlorn north of England; miners and mill-workers of Bradford and Wigan, Hull and Warrington, were invaded by that peculiar genius which concerns itself with the serious business of human games, and produced what was the supreme code, a cellular structure composed of thirteen players which mimicked life and art and war so exactly that it became them.” — A Family Madness by Thomas Keneally (Page 29) Hodder and Stoughton, 1986.
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With Rugby Sevens already accepted as a 'core' sport, it's worth investigating whether rugby league – which is already a 'recognised' sport – be included in…
If anyone would like to help lobby for the inclusion of Rugby League in the Commonwealth Games please refer to the list of contacts below. The names given are for members of the Commonwealth Games Federation Sports Committee.
CGF Sports Committee
Africa
Miriam Moyo
c/o Zambia National Olympic Committee
PO Box 20728
Kitwe
Zambia
Tel: + 260 2 227 438
Fax: + 260 1 225 422
Email: mczmoyo@yahoo.co.uk
Americas
Philip Guishard
Bermuda
Asia
Chris Chan
c/o Singapore National Olympic Council
230 Stadium Boulevard
Singapore 397799
Tel: +(65) 6345 9273
Fax: +(65) 6345 9274
Email: chrischan@snoc.org.sg
Caribbean
Chet Greene
c/o Antigua & Barbuda Olympic Committee
PO Box 3115
Redcliffe Street
St John’s
Antigua
West Indies
Tel: +1 (268) 462 3476
Fax: +1 (268) 462 4811
Email: epchet_noc@hotmail.com
Europe
Don Parker
c/o Commonwealth Games England
PO Box 36288
London SE19 2YY
England
Tel: +44 (0)208 676 3543
Email: d.parker@weareengland.org
Oceania
Don Stockins
21/71 Ruislip Street
Wembley
Western Australia 6014
Australia
Tel: +61 8 9388 8967
Fax: +61 8 9388 8936
Email: donald.stockins@bigpond.com
Member
Richard Russell
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Yes emerging nations find it much easier to compete in a sevens or nines format, which is why we need to be in the Commonwealth Games as well as staging our own World Cup. Also, being in the Commonwealth Games opens up more funding opportunities, so it is a better idea than simply holding our own sevens/nines comp (although if that was the only option I would support that too).
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Appreciate that certain countries would not qualify for the Commonwealth Games, but that is also the case for the Rugby Sevens and all the other sports. I am confident that as well as England, Australia and NZ a further eight nations could be represented – as listed in my post at the top of this thread.
Would a Rugby League Sevens event not be feasible?
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
– You’re right that some sportsmen and women will give the Commonwealth Games a miss, but if they are competing in sports which have a year round international calendar – who can blame them? In the case of Rugby league the sport has an under developed international scene, so young players in the NRL and Super League may have more to gain from an appearance at the CG than a Usain Bolt or a Mo Farah.
– There are approximately 250,000 rugby league players in the UK.
– With regard to interest in the Commonwealth Games in the UK, during the initial four week window for the Glasgow 2014 Games there were 2.3 million requests for up to 1 million tickets.
– I can assure you that Australia is still a sporting powerhouse. The record of Australian sporting teams over many decades speaks for itself.
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Hope you’re right. Now I think about it, when the Commonwealth Games is held in the UK it may well take place during the NRL (and Super League) season. But as I suggested previously, a RL tournament at the Commonwealth Games could be limited to young players who have not been capped at full 13-a-side level. This would be the way to keep the top clubs on board.
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Crosscoder – I’m pleased to hear about these developments. I remember after the 1995 World Cup there was a row between the ARL and the RFL over the profits from the tournament. I don’t remember much talk about the money going to new nations.
The acceptance of RL as a recognised sport is a necessary first step, but as I said elsewhere in this thread I believe that RL already has a stronger pedigree within the Commonwealth than some existing ‘optional’ sports. Basketball is a sport that I admire hugely, but the top eight teams in the FIBA Rankings for Men are not Commonwealth nations. I’m not having a dig at Basketball, just pointing out that if they deserve inclusion then so do we.
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
England may have a chance to win!
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Can we not have a RL comp for both men and women? Genuine question!
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Agreed. Fiji made their RL international debut in the World Sevens back in the early 1990’s. The shorter forms of the game are a great way to blood emerging nations.
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Yes I hope the NRL clubs don’t pull their players out after a couple of years citing injury and welfare concerns. There are not enough people in Rugby League who look at the bigger picture.
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Interesting idea, but the Commonwealth Games currently only consider sports who can boast a high number of medalists and/or participants at that sport’s World Championships.
Also, we should not forget that outside the eastern states of Australia and the north of England, RL does not always enjoy regular coverage…
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
I think Al spends his weekends watching the Shute Shield. To be fair, it would send anyone over the edge!
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
I agree that people outside the Commonwealth are largely unaware of the existence of the Commonwealth Games, but in the context of this discussion that shouldn’t discourage us from arguing for the inclusion of Rugby League – which has a strong following inside the Commonwealth.
Take your point about India. With the exception of Cricket, India is a bit of a sporting desert (apologies to fans of Kabaddi!). However, as I’m sure you’re aware the CG held in Melbourne and Manchester were well attended, as will be the next Games in Glasgow in 2014.
Personally I think that AFL and NRL deserve the high profile they enjoy in the media. They are the two most popular leagues in Australia after all 🙂
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Is Touch Footy considered to be a hybrid game? If so I would prefer a RL comp, because Rugby already have a Sevens tournament at the Commonwealth Games, and it woud be nice to even things up.
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Agree. The figures in my post were approximations only. If the Rugby League International Federation did some work on collating accurate statistics our sport would have a stronger case for Commonwealth inclusion…
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Matt_S – Pleased to hear about Ghana. Maybe we should lobby the Ghana Olympic Committee, which was formed and recognised in 1952, and is responsible for organising their participation at the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games. Their contact details are given below:
PO Box M439
Ministries Branch
Accra
Ghana
Tel: + (233) 277 600 914
Fax: + (233)
President Francis Dodoo
Secretary Richard Akpokavie
duf2@psu.edu
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
Dayer – I agree with you, but don’t tell FlameThrower!
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
oikee – I also believe that we have at least as strong a case (if not stronger) than a number of sports already included in the Commonwealth Games. See the info below taken from the Gold Coast 2018 website:
Core sports
The core Sport Programme for each Games is determined by the Commonwealth Games Federation and comprises 10 core sports. The core sports for the 2018 Commonwealth Games are:
Athletics, Aquatics (Swimming, Diving), Badminton, Boxing, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball (women), Squash, Rugby Sevens, Weightlifting
Optional sports
A Commonwealth Games candidate city may select up to a further seven sports from a list of sports provided and approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation. A maximum of four team sports can be included in the overall sports programme. The following sports were chosen to be included in the Gold Coast City 2018 Commonwealth Games Sports Programme:
Basketball, Shooting (Clay Target, Full Bore, Pistol, Small Bore), Table Tennis, Cycling (Road, Time Trial, Track, Mountain Bike), Gymnastics, Triathlon, Wrestling
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
FlameThrower – Thanks for your comment. I agree that we need to look after our top players, but don’t forget that the Commonwealth Games takes place every four years, so this proposal would not endanger the careers of our representative stars. A rugby league comp at the Commonwealth Games could be seven or nine a side, and it could be limited to under 24 or under 21 players. Would this not protect the top players while also encouraging young talent around the globe?
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?
My point is that people who want to play Rugby Union should play Rugby Union. People who want to play Rugby League should play Rugby League. And people who want to play Touch Footy should play Touch Footy.
I’m not saying that nations should switch to playing Rugby League at the Commonwealth Games, after playing Rugby Union at the Olympics. As a Rugby League fan I believe that our sport can co-exist with Rugby Union, even on the same stage – such as the Commonwealth Games. If the national sports bodies can organise a Rugby Sevens competition, they can organise a Rugby League Sevens/Nines competition. To argue otherwise defies logic.
I do agree however that the priority placed on the Olympics may be harming the chances of Rugby League attaining ‘optional’ status at the CG. If that’s true the administrators need to get their heads out of the sand!
Should rugby league be included in the Commonwealth Games?