Editing Rugby union (section)

===Rugby within multi-sport events===
{{See also|Rugby union at the Summer Olympics|Rugby sevens at the Commonwealth Games|Rugby union at the Asian Games}}
Rugby union was played at the Olympic Games in [[Rugby union at the 1900 Summer Olympics|1900]], [[Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908]], [[Rugby union at the 1920 Summer Olympics|1920]] and [[Rugby union at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924]].<ref name="Rugby in the Olympics">{{cite news|url=http://www.irb.com/rugbyandtheolympics/history.html |title=Rugby in the Olympics: History |work=[[International Rugby Board|IRB]] |access-date=16 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810064813/http://www.irb.com/rugbyandtheolympics/history.html |archive-date=10 August 2011 }}</ref> As per Olympic rules, the nations of Scotland, Wales and England were not allowed to play separately as they are not sovereign states. In 1900, France won the gold, beating Great Britain 27 points to 8 and defeating Germany 27 points to 17.<ref name="Rugby in the Olympics"/> In 1908, Australia defeated Great Britain, claiming the gold medal, the score being 32 points to three.<ref name="Rugby in the Olympics"/> In 1920, the United States, fielding a team with many players new to the sport of rugby, upset France in a shock win, eight points to zero. In 1924, the United States again defeated France 17 to 3, becoming the only team to win gold twice in the sport.<ref name="Rugby in the Olympics"/>

In 2009, the [[International Olympic Committee]] voted with a majority of 81 to 8 that rugby union be reinstated as an Olympic sport in at least the [[2016 Summer Olympics|2016]] and [[2020 Summer Olympics|2020]] games, but in the sevens, 4-day tournament format.<ref name="I.O.C. Decision">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/sports/14sports.html |title=I.O.C. Decision Draws Cheers and Complaints From Athletes |work=The New York Times |first=Jeff |last=Klein |date=13 August 2009 |access-date=13 August 2009 |archive-date=27 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827082843/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/sports/14sports.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/news/6281166/Rugby-sevens-and-golf-ratified-for-2016-Olympics-in-Rio-de-Janeiro.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012120458/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/news/6281166/Rugby-sevens-and-golf-ratified-for-2016-Olympics-in-Rio-de-Janeiro.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 October 2009 |title=Rugby sevens and golf ratified for 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro |first=Paul |last=Kelso| newspaper=The Telegraph|date=9 October 2009 |access-date=5 November 2010}}</ref> This is something the rugby world has aspired to for a long time and [[Bernard Lapasset]], president of the International Rugby Board, said the Olympic gold medal would be considered to be "the pinnacle of our sport" (Rugby Sevens).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8292584.stm |title=Golf & rugby voted into Olympics |work=BBC News |date=19 October 2009 |access-date=6 February 2010 |archive-date=8 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308100128/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8292584.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rugby sevens has been played at the [[Commonwealth Rugby Sevens Championships|Commonwealth Games]] since the [[1998 Commonwealth Games|1998 Games]] in Kuala Lumpur.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/9031959.stm |title=Commonwealth Games 2010: Form guide&nbsp;– rugby sevens |work=BBC Sport |date=27 September 2010 |access-date=17 September 2011 |archive-date=9 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909005136/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/9031959.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The most gold medal holders are [[New Zealand national rugby sevens team|New Zealand]] who have won the competition on four successive occasions until South Africa beat them in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/9084566.stm |title=Commonwealth Games: NZ win sevens as England miss medal |work=BBC Sport |date=12 October 2010 |access-date=17 September 2011 |archive-date=9 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909005118/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/9084566.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Rugby union has also been an [[Asian Games]] event since the [[1998 Asian Games|1998 games]] in Bangkok, Thailand. In the 1998 and 2002 editions of the games, both the usual fifteen-a-side variety and rugby sevens were played, but from 2006 onwards, only rugby sevens was retained. In 2010, the women's rugby sevens event was introduced. The event is likely to remain a permanent fixture of the Asian Games due to elevation of rugby sevens as an Olympic sport from the 2016 Olympics onwards. The present gold medal holders in the sevens tournament, held in [[2014 Asian Games|2014]], are [[Japan national rugby sevens team|Japan]] in the men's event and [[China women's national rugby sevens team|China]] in the women's.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}<!-- <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irbsevens.com/regionalsports/newsid=2040867.html |title=Japan claim Asian Games gold |publisher=planetrugby.com |date=23 November 2010 |access-date=10 October 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725092235/http://www.irbsevens.com/regionalsports/newsid=2040867.html |archive-date=25 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irbsevens.com/regionalsports/newsid=2040914.html |title=Kazakhstan win first Asian Games women's gold |publisher=IRBSevens.com |date=23 November 2010 |access-date=18 August 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725092322/http://www.irbsevens.com/regionalsports/newsid=2040914.html |archive-date=25 July 2011 }}</ref> -->