Asia Rugby Men’s and Women’s Olympic Qualifiers to Relocate to Osaka

The Japan Rugby Football Union has announced that the Asia Rugby Men’s and Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, the regional qualifier for Asia for the 2024 Paris Olympics, will now be held at Yodoko Sakura Stadium in Osaka, on 18 and 19 November 2023.

Originally scheduled to take place at Mikuni World Stadium in Kitakyushu, the decision to change venues was made in consultation with Asia Rugby following a significant increase in the expected number of participating men’s and women’s teams, from what was originally planned. As Japan’s second largest city, Osaka has the hotel capacity and other necessary infrastructure to handle the larger format of the tournament.

The Olympic qualifying tournament will be held over two days with teams competing in pool matches and play-offs across both days of competition. The winners of both the men’s and women’s competitions will automatically qualify for the Rugby Sevens competition at the 39th Summer Olympic Games in Paris. The second and the third-placed teams in both the men’s and women’s competitions will go on to participate in the Final Olympic Repechage Tournament to compete for the final Rugby Sevens slot for the Paris Olympics.

Further details on the tournament format, including the participating teams, kick-off times and broadcast schedules, will be announced as soon as they are finalised.