The event will take place in the hub of the city, at the BC Place Stadium, and will form part of the widely-heralded calendar of sevens series events from the 2015-2016 season.

A competition will then be held there on an annual basis.

Rugby sevens was added to the Olympic programme for the 2016 OIympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset is looking forward to the event coming to Vancouver.

"As we move towards Rio 2016, the Olympic sport of rugby sevens is going from strength to strength and the World Rugby Sevens Series has been at the heart of the global sevens success story with its winning brand of high-octane competitive and broadcast-friendly action, global locations and festival atmosphere," he said.

"Vancouver is world-renowned event location and a city with a tremendous track record of hosting incredible events, like the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

"Its inclusion within a stellar Series hosting line-up is great for players, great for fans and great for the ongoing prosperity and development of rugby in Canada and around the globe.

"Vancouver's inclusion is exciting for World Rugby and will boost the sport's ability to inspire fans in established and developing rugby markets, and contribute to the continued growth of the game and its character-building values worldwide."

The last World Rugby Sevens Series event held in Las Vegas attracted crowds of 75,000 over the three days of competition ©World Rugby



The BC Place stadium, which is also due to host matches at the FIFA Women's World Cup this summer, is set to be one of the largest World Rugby Series host stadiums as it has a capacity of 54,000.

"Rugby Canada is incredibly excited to be hosting an official stop on the World Rugby Sevens Series in 2016," the body's chief executive Graham Brown added.

"Hosting an event of this calibre, and bringing the world to Vancouver, is a huge opportunity to grow and strengthen rugby in Canada.

"Canadians from coast-to-coast will undoubtedly get behind our men's sevens team at BC Place, especially with the excitement of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Summer Games on the horizon later that year."

This year's nine-team tournament has already passed the halfway stage, with Fiji claiming victory at the latest event, held in Las Vegas.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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