It’s either a ticket to Paris or to the waiting room for Los Angeles 2028 for the Langford-based Canadian men’s rugby sevens team. The last-chance Olympic qualifier for Paris 2024 begins today at Stade Louis II in Monaco with the winner earning the 12th and final berth into the Paris Games next month.
Canada opens at 6:28 a.m. PT against Uganda before meeting China on Saturday at 6:28 a.m. and Great Britain at 10:08 a.m. The games against Uganda and China are must-wins to get into the playoff round Sunday.
Canada is led by captain Phil Berna and Jack Carson of Victoria and Cooper Coats, the top-two points scorers for the national side in the just-completed HSBC World Series season.
Canada was dropped from the World Series to the second-tier Challenger Series for next season following the recent promotion-relegation tournament in Madrid. Qualifying for the Paris Olympics would certainly take a lot of the pain away from the relegation loss.
“As difficult as it has been, this group has turned the page on Madrid and has a sole focus on the task at hand [Paris],” Canadian head coach Sean White of Victoria said in a statement.
It will be a massive challenge with elite rugby nations Great Britain and South Africa also in the last-chance qualifier and looking for the lone berth out of Monaco to fill the final slot in the 2024 Olympic tournament next month at the Stade de France.
“We are aware of the challenges we will face and are ready to conquer them as they arise,” said White, the former sevens and XVs player for Canada out of Oak Bay Secondary and James Bay Athletic Association.
Canada was a quarter-finalist in the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with now-retired veterans such as UVic Vikes great Nathan Hirayama, Connor Braid of Victoria and Harry Jones of North Vancouver. A rebuilding Canadian side was redirected through the last-chance qualifier this time around for Paris 2024 by placing second to the U.S. in the direct North American and Caribbean Olympic qualifying tournament held last summer at Starlight Stadium.
