The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsThe Olympics is one of the most awaited events on the sporting calendar and it is a great opportunity for countries to unite and participate in multiple sports every four years.
The London 2012 Olympics were a great spectacle which featured numerous sport events and with the games in Rio de Janeiro approaching next year, both athletes and spectators can begin to get excited about the Olympics again.
Some sports have discontinued over the years however and it would be good to see certain ones brought back into the event. Here are five sports that should make a return to the Olympic schedule.
1. Rugby Union
It’s quite surprising to note that such a popular sport as rugby union hasn’t featured in the Olympics since 1924 and given the vast interest in it now, a return to the programme would be welcome. One step towards bringing the sport back to the Olympics is the introduction of rugby sevens to the 2016 Olympics; expectedly featuring just seven players. Rugby union however involves two teams with 15 players on each side and with the popularity of the World Cup in England this year; the sport would evidently have a large fan base if it was to be re-introduced as an Olympic sport.
Bringing rugby union into the Olympics would give the smaller countries an opportunity to win some medals as teams such as Ireland have competed in the recent World Cup and are strong rugby teams, but they struggle to get medals in the Olympics. Nations such as England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa would relish the chance to represent their country in possibly the world’s largest sporting event as it would be in a sport they are strongest in. Rugby union has such a big following around the world and even the nations who aren’t competing would like to see it make a return.
