It is the word that will be hanging over every national team in a summer sport for the next year and a half.
The word is 鈥渜ualification,鈥� as in for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In rugby sevens, the top-four men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 finishers in their respective 2018-19 World Series standings will earn Olympic berths to Tokyo.
The Langford-based Canadian teams have been in preparation for the World Series鈥� Dubai Sevens from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, with the women breaking camp at Westhills Stadium and departing today and the men later in the week.
The women鈥檚 World Series began last month with sa国际传媒 placing third at the USA Sevens in Denver, Colorado. The Dubai tournament, however, will be the first on the men鈥檚 World Series calendar.
The big picture can overwhelm, so both Canadian squads are approaching it in increments.
鈥淲e know this is the first qualifying period for 2020 but we鈥檙e focused on the day-to-day process,鈥� said Canadian women鈥檚 team player Charity Williams.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all about the process and working hard every day in our training blocks.鈥�
The third-place World Series tournament finish in Colorado was a good first 鈥渂uilding block鈥� toward Tokyo, said Canadian player Kayla Moleschi of Williams Lake.
鈥淲e all realize what the sweep of the year is about, but we take each game as it comes, knowing it gets us closer to that word 鈥� qualification,鈥� she added.
As to the keys in Dubai, Moleschi said it鈥檚 about 鈥渂all possession and supporting each other.鈥�
Both Moleschi and Williams were part of sa国际传媒鈥檚 bronze-medal team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
鈥淚 believe our attack patterns can beat anybody in the world,鈥� said Williams.
鈥淪o, defence is going to be the key for us.鈥�
The Canadian men鈥檚 sevens must overcome the loss of eight pre-season weeks while 13 of them were boycotting training camp in protest of proposed new funding and training systems installed by Rugby sa国际传媒. The players, some still disgruntled, are proceeding with the season under an agreement that was reached Nov 1.
鈥淲e鈥檙e behind the eight-ball and our lungs will be burning in Dubai,鈥� said Canadian standout Connor Braid of Victoria.
sa国际传媒 will rely heavily on being a veteran group.
鈥淚f we are lacking a bit in conditioning, we have the cohesion that comes with knowing each other so well,鈥� said Braid, a product of Oak Bay High and James Bay Athletic Association.
鈥淲e are a tight-knit group of guys that loves to play together and we have been working hard over the past three weeks [since the boycott ended],鈥� said Braid.
鈥淲e know this is the first Olympic qualifier and that there are avenues after that [repechage qualifiers that will fill out the 12-team field for Tokyo 2020]. But right now every nation is on an equal field with zero points.鈥�
Both World Series will again feature sa国际传媒 Sevens events, the men鈥檚 March 9-10 at sa国际传媒 Place and the women鈥檚 May 11-12 at Westhills Stadium.
