Hot enough for you on the Island? Incredibly, not hot enough for the Canadian rugby players named Friday for the 2020 Plus One Olympic Games. They have it cranked to over 50 degrees Celsius in their acclimatization tent in Langford to get used to the conditions they will face next month in Tokyo.
It鈥檚 a fitting way to cap a tumultuous lead-up training period, which included coaching changes and a year鈥檚 delay due to the pandemic as Rugby sa国际传媒 named its 26 athletes, 13 men and 13 women, for the Tokyo Olympics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream come true and an exciting time. But it鈥檚 also bittersweet and I really feel for the teammates not selected,鈥� said men鈥檚 co-captain Nate Hirayama.
鈥淚t鈥檚 up to us to do them proud, and the rest of sa国际传媒,鈥� added the former University of Victoria Vikes great.
Hirayama reflected on an the unusual circumstances brought about because of the pandemic: 鈥淚t鈥檚 been an unprecedented year.鈥�
That included training that was severely restricted for much of the time at Starlight Stadium and Goudy Field, and in the Al Charron national indoor facility, due to COVID protocols.
鈥淏ut we鈥檝e been training hard and have so much belief in our group,鈥� said Hirayama.
This will be Hirayama鈥檚 first Olympics. The Canadian men failed to qualify in 2016 for Rio, where the sevens version of rugby made its Olympic debut. It will be even more meaningful for Hirayama to play in an Olympics in the ancestral homeland on his paternal side. Dad Garry Hirayama was also a capped national team player for sa国际传媒 in sevens and XVs.
鈥淭hat makes it extremely special,鈥� said Nate Hirayama, the all-time leading scorer for sa国际传媒 in sevens.
Joining Hirayama on the Olympic men鈥檚 team are Connor Braid and Mike Fuailefau, both of Victoria, Pat Kay of Duncan, former UVic Vikes player Lucas Hammond, Justin Douglas and Jake Thiel, both of Abbotsford, Phil Berna, Theo Sauder, Harry Jones, Conor Trainor, all of Vancouver, and Andrew Coe and Matt Mullins of Ontario. The head coach is Kiwi Henry Paul from Auckland.
The Canadian women鈥檚 sevens team will be looking to defend its podium position from Rio when the squad captured the bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics. But following a players鈥� revolt this year in Langford, the team will be without the coach, John Tait of Mill Bay, who guided it to the medal in Rio.
鈥淲e鈥檝e put it behind us but it鈥檚 still a part of our story and a part of our reality,鈥� said Canadian women鈥檚 team veteran Bianca Farella.
But the world No. 3-ranked Canadian squad is still a definite medal threat under interim head coach Mick Byrne of Noosa Beach, Australia.
鈥淲e are dialed in, bigger picture,鈥� said Farella, among the six returnees from the Rio-medallist squad.
鈥淲e simply have so many strengths when we play collectively. We don鈥檛 feel outside pressure. We have our own expectations of ourselves and that is to top the podium. It will be a big disapointment to ourselves internally if we don鈥檛 because we know how well our team can play.鈥�
The team members named are Farella, captain Ghislaine Landry, Britt Benn, Kayla Moleschi, Karen Paquin, Charity Williams, Elissa Alarie, Olivia Apps, former UVic Vikes star Pam Buisa, Julia Greenshields, Kali Lukan, Breanne Nicholas and Keyara Wardley.
鈥淚 feel bad for the players not selected. It was a 21-player effort to get to this point,鈥� said Farella, of the long list, which had to be cut down to the travelling group for Tokyo.
The men鈥檚 Olympic rugby competition takes place July 26-28 in Tokyo Stadium and the women鈥檚 from July 29-31. The Games open July 23.
