Olympic qualification at stake for Guyana at RAN 7s

Guyana’s senior Men’s Rugby team, commonly called the ‘Green Machine’, will have a chance to break new grounds and qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, providing they win the upcoming Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Championship.

The eight-time Caribbean will have all to play for at the upcoming championship, which takes place on July 6-7 in The Cayman Islands.

This confirmation came from a senior player and executive of the Guyana Rugby Football Union, after World Rugby announced the location and dates for the Men’s and Women’s regional association Olympic Games qualification tournaments.

In the Men’s regional qualifiers there are a maximum of six qualification places available with tournaments taking place across each of the six World Rugby regions- Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, South America and North America. The winner of each tournament will secure their ticket to Tokyo 2020.

The Women’s regional qualifiers will take place across the six World Rugby regions with the winners of Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and South America automatically securing their passage to Tokyo 2020.

However, it is easier said than done for the Men’s side, since Canada, who are ranked 21 in the world by World Rugby, are expected to play. There is also the possibility of USA featuring, depending on how their results go in the World Series.

Given the stakes, several senior players have already begun ramping up their preparation. Most recently Seven Coach Sherlock Solomon conducted fitness tests on hopefuls, and stated they were above average.

At the 2018 RAN’s Championship, Guyana lost the final to rivals Jamaica 17-22.