Fiji coach Alifereti Dere has voiced concerns over the qualifying process for sevens' debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics, saying it should be judged on performance levels at the annual HSBC Sevens World Series, and not just on regional qualification.
Dere has received support from New Zealand counterpart Gordon Tietjens who said the top six teams in the world series standings in 2015 should automatically qualify for the Olympics.
The views of the two southern hemisphere giants don't match the process in the other major team sport at the Olympics, soccer, where all teams have to qualify other than the host nation.
This week's Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has long been the holy grail for Fiji rugby but it will soon have to share the limelight with the Olympics and Dere is concerned at how the IOC and the International Rugby Board will work out the qualifying process.
'I hope they can take into account that most of the leading teams in sevens come from Oceania,' Dere said. 'The best teams should be at the Olympics, but if it is a regional qualification then we have a lot of good teams like New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, so it is a concern for us as to how the qualification process will work,' said Dere, who took over the coaching reins last November. 'Olympic qualification should be based on performance levels.'
New Zealand mastermind Tietjens agreed, saying: 'For me the Olympics is all about having the best teams taking part. I believe the top six teams in the world series in 2015 should qualify automatically and you can have a qualifying process for the remaining slots.'
The IRB has yet to announce how the qualifying process will pan out, but one thing is certain - there are only 12 spots available with the IOC sticking to the format for other team sports. The same number will take part in the women's rugby competition too.