Rugby is one of the earliest forms of football in which the ball is carried rather than kicked. It was developed in Great Britain
in the mid-19th century. Originally, rugby league was considered the
professional sport and rugby union the amateur one, but in 1995 the
International Rugby Board made rugby union an open sport, allowing
professional competition. Rugby union was held at the Olympics in Paris 1900, London 1908, Antwerp 1920 and Paris 1924.
As one the strongest rugby nations today, Australia achieved early success at the Olympic Games, winning the gold medal in London.
The team consisted of John Barnett, Phillip Carmichael, Daniel Carroll,
Robert Craig, Thomas Griffin, John Hickey, Malcolm McArthur, Arthur
McCabe, Patrick McCue, Christopher McKivat (captain), Charles
McMurtrie, Sydney Middleton, Thomas Richards, Charles Russell and Frank
Smith. In the final the Wallabies defeated Great Britain 32-3.
Although the Australian team did not win any more
rugby medals, Daniel Carroll, a member of the 1908 winning team went on
to win further medals. He immigrated to the United States following a tour in 1912 and then played as captain/coach for US team that won gold in Antwerp 1920, and then coached the winning US team in Paris 1924.
Shortly after Paris
1924, the IOC cancelled rugby as an Olympic sport - even though rugby
sold more tickets than the athletics events. In 1928 the IOC turned
down the request to stage rugby at the Amsterdam Games. Three factors
were believed to be behind this: the IOC wanted more emphasis on
individual sports; women's athletics had increased the number of
competitors; and the sport did not receive the backing that it should
have from the British entries.
Both the Soviet Union in 1980 and South Korea
in 1988 made attempts to have rugby readmitted, and once again rugby
was unsuccessful in its bid to be included in the London 2012 Olympics.
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