Photo: Dave Stephenson / Numina Photos
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Rugby Americas North qualifier will occur March 1-3 at the Las Vegas Invitational. All games, save the finals, will take place at field 19, which is located at the Silver Bowl Sport Complex adjacent to Sam Boyd Stadium. The girls’ and boys’ finals will occur inside the stadium on Saturday.
The girls’ qualifier involves the USA, Canada, Mexico and Barbados. The boys’ qualifier involves the USA, Canada, Jamaica and Barbados.
USA Rugby has not announced the girls’ team, but those not selected to the 12-player roster will play for Atlantis or Atavus. Rugby Canada named its LVI squad on Feb. 15 (read more) and addressed the IOC’s quota system (read more). Each country can only have one female team and one male team in the YOG. Canada selected rugby as its team sport for its girls, so if the Canada U18 girls win in Las Vegas, then they will head to Buenos Aires.
But Canada did not select rugby, but field hockey, as the team sport placeholder for the boys. So if Canada wins its boys’ field hockey qualifier, then the Canada boys’ rugby team will not advance to the YOG regardless of its performance in Las Vegas.
These quotas apply to the U.S. as well. It just depends on which sports the U.S. has chosen as placeholder team sports for the girls and boys.
The YOG rugby tournament in Buenos Aires is only a six-team event, and two teams have qualified thus far: Japan and host Argentina. The African, European and Oceania regions will fill out the tournament with their champions.
If the USA girls win in Las Vegas, there will be more fixtures and assemblies before naming the final squad. To learn more about USA Rugby’s athlete selection process, read this document.
YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
GIRLS’ NORTH AMERICAN QUALIFIER
All Times Pacific
Thursday, March 1
9:44 a.m. USA v Mexico
10:02 a.m. Canada v Barbados
12:14 p.m. Canada v Mexico
12:36 p.m. USA v Barbados
Friday, March 2
9:00 a.m. Mexico v Barbados
9:22 a.m. Canada v USA
11:30 a.m. Semifinal: #1 v #4
11:52 a.m. Semifinal: #2 v #3
Saturday, March 3
11:00 a.m. Final @ Sam Boyd Stadium
BOYS NORTH AMERICAN QUALIFIER
Thursday, March 1
9:00 a.m. Canada v Jamaica
9:22 a.m. USA v Barbados
11:30 a.m. USA v Jamaica
11:52 a.m. Canada v Barbados
Friday, March 2
9:44 a.m. USA v Canada
10:02 a.m. Jamaica v Barbados
12:14 p.m. Semifinal: #1 v #4
12:36 p.m. Semifinal: #2 v #3
Saturday, March 3
10:38 a.m. Final @ Sam Boyd Stadium
#YouthOlympicGames LVI