Tokyo 2020: Britain’s Olympics rugby sevens teams rescued after securing funding
- UK government partners with National Lottery to provide last-minute funding for 2016 silver medallists and fourth-place finishers
The RFU had ditched its sevens programme in August and told players their contracts would not be renewed due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sevens does not receive funding from UK Sport, the organisation responsible for investing in Olympic and Paralympic sports in the country, and England players launched a crowd-funding scheme in September.
But the RFU said in a statement that the department for culture, media and sport (DCMS) had partnered with the National Lottery to come up with the funds, which will allow the teams to compete in the World Sevens Series ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, which were pushed back by a year due to the pandemic.
“We’re delighted to have secured this partnership with the National Lottery and thank National Lottery players. This is a great opportunity for GB Sevens and vital preparation ahead of next summer’s Olympic Games,” RFU Performance Director Conor O’Shea said in a statement.