Two Asian Match Officials Selected For Olympic Games Paris 2024 Rugby Sevens
rugbyasia247
Posted On July 23, 2024 
World Rugby unveiled the match officials selected for the Rugby Sevens at this year’s Olympic Games Paris 2024 with Ano Kuwai (Japan) and Craig Chan (Hong Kong China Rugby) both selected to officiate the Women’s 7s.
Photo Credit: World Rugby – Match Officials Selected For Olympic Games Paris 2024 Rugby Sevens – Japanese Ano Kuwai (left) – Updated 23 July 2024
In total, 23 match officials will take charge of the rugby sevens competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in France from 24-30 July, and the group features match officials from 16 countries – and all six of World Rugby’s regional associations represented.
World Rugby High Performance Sevens Referee Manager Paddy O’Brien said: “I am very excited to be managing a hugely experienced and talented group of match officials to Paris 2024. To have so many countries represented as well as knowing every region is involved gives our management team a huge amount of satisfaction and is a testament to the pathways we have had in place over the past four years.”
Ano Kuwai is a former Japanese-capped international 7s player and this means she will create history as the first to both play and referee at a Games. She was part of the Sakura Sevens team at Rio 2016 and was the scorer of Japan’s first-ever Olympic try in their 26-10 pool defeat to hosts Brazil. The former Skaura 7s player has refereed five World Series tournaments, four of them on the 2024 SVNS series.
Ano Kuwai said: “It was special to be in the Olympic Games as a player and now I cannot wait to go to Paris as a referee.”
Craig Chan is the second Asian representative and has been a regular on the Women’s HSBC SVNS Series this season. He has refereed 17 World Series tournaments (four men’s, 13 women’s), including six rounds of the 2024 SVNS series.
Photo Credit: HKRU – Craig Chan on the World Rugby Sevens Series
- Kuwai is one of six females selected on the women’s panel for Paris 2024
- Five officials will attend their second Olympic Games; Paulo Duarte (Portugal), Francisco González (Uruguay), Tyler Miller (Australia), Tevita Rokovereni (Fiji) and Jordan Way (Australia)
- Jérémy Rozier (France) is the only French official selected to referee at a home Olympic Games, Paris 2024.
Match Officials – Olympic Games Paris 2024 Rugby Sevens
Men’s Rugby Sevens – Paris 2024
- Ben Breakspear (Wales, Great Britain)
- Paulo Duarte (Portugal)
- Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
- Francisco González (Uruguay)
- Nick Hogan (New Zealand)
- AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
- Reuben Keane (Australia)
- Adam Leal (England, Great Britain)
- Tevita Rokovereni (Fiji)
- Jérémy Rozier (France)
- Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
- Jordan Way (Australia)
For all of the match official appointments – please see more details here.
Women’s Rugby Sevens – Paris 2024
- Finlay Brown (Scotland, Great Britain)
- Craig Chan (Hong Kong China)
- Talal Chaudhry (Canada)
- Maggie Cogger-Orr (New Zealand)
- Ano Kuwai (Japan)
- Maria Latos (Germany)
- Cisco Lopez (USA)
- Tyler Miller (Australia)
- Lavenia Rawaca (Fiji)
- Kat Roche (USA)
- George Selwood (England, Great Britain)
For all of the match official appointments – please see more details here.
Craig Chan will be involved with:
Sunday 28 July
- Pool A: Fiji v Canada (Referee)
- Pool C: USA v Brazil (Assistant Referee)
Ano Kuwai will be involved with:
Sunday 28 July
- Pool B: Australia v South Africa (Assistant Referee)
- Pool A: New Zealand v Canada (Assistant Referee)
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The men’s competition will take place from 24-27 July, kicking off the Olympic Games Paris 2024 along with football two days before the Opening Ceremony. The women’s competition follows from 28-30 July and games will be at Stade de France, the venue for the men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 final last October.
The final women’s and men’s teams still need to be confirmed at the Monaco Repechage tournament in June 2024, with several Asian teams in contention.
Rugby Sevens News 2024
- Olympic Games Paris 2024 Rugby Sevens Schedule & Team News
- Guide To The Asia Rugby 2024 International Tournaments.
- Sir Gordon Tjietiens On Taking Chinese Women’s Sevens Rugby To The Next Level.
- Sam Pinder – SVNS Is A Fantastic Vehicle For Being Able To Grow The Sport Of Rugby.
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