Source: www.insidethegames.biz
By Tom Degun at SportAccord in London
International Rugby Board (IRB) President Bernard Lapasset has claimed that he is not too concerned about becoming a member of the prestigious International Olympic Committee (IOC) as long as rugby can continue to develop its promising relationship with the organisation.
Lapasset played a critical role in getting rugby sevens included on the Olympic Programme at the IOC's 121st Session in Copenhagen in October 2009 and the sport will appear at the Rio 2016 Games for the first time since the Paris 1924 Olympics.
The move has led to calls for the sport to have a representative appointed as an IOC member, as the majority of Olympic sports do.
Lapasset is undoubtedly rugby's most likely candidate to take up the position but the Frenchman said the move is not essential at this stage.
"Ask the IOC if they think that I should become an IOC member!" Lapasset joked at a special IRB media roundtable session which took place as part of SportAccord here.
"But in all honesty, that is not so important to me as my main role is simply to strengthen the relationship between rugby in the IOC in whatever capacity I can.
"My role as the chairman of the IRB is to continue to make sure that rugby can keep growing in the Olympic family and one day become one of the core sports in the Olympics.
"We only became an Olympic sport again in Copenhagen in 2009 so our existing relationship with the IOC is still quite new, but we do have a fantastic relationship with them and we must continue to consolidate that before anything else.
"I am already heavily involved in working with the IOC and I am on some IOC Commissions so just because I am not an IOC member, it does not mean that I don't have a lot of IOC involvement."
Mike Miller, the chief executive of the IOC, echoed Lapasset's comments, claiming that the most important thing for the IRB is to have involvement in IOC business.
"As long as we are on the inside, at the table and involved in the IOC meetings, we are very happy," Miller stated.
"Rugby is one of the major sports in the world and certainly represents a lot of the Olympic values in terms of fair play and inclusion.
"We are very much involved in IOC discussions and moving forward our relationship with them.
"It does not necessarily require us to have an IOC member for that to happen."