Rugby sevens made its debut at the Olympics in 2016. This year, France won the gold medal in the men’s event after defeating Fiji in the final. South Africa finished with the bronze medal after winning the bronze medal won match against Australia.
In the women’s event, New Zealand retained the gold medal after defeating Canada in the final. The bronze medal went to the United States, which defeated Australia by 14-12 in the bronze medal match.
Here’s an overview of the winners:
| Game Category | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Men | France | Fiji | South Africa |
| Women | New Zealand | Canada | United States |
The rugby sevens at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris took place from July 24 to July 30, 2024, at the Stade de France. There were two events: one for men and one for women, with 288 competitors from 16 nations participating—12 teams in each event.
For the first time in Olympic history, the rugby sevens matches began two days before the official opening ceremony. The men’s preliminary and quarterfinal stages occurred on July 24 and 25. The competition paused for the opening ceremony on July 26. The semi-finals, bronze medal match, and final were played on July 27. The women’s tournament ran from July 28 to July 30.
Gold and Silver Medal Winners
Men’s Event
France and Fiji had contrasting journeys in the group stage of the event. Both teams were in Group C, where Fiji won all three matches and finished first. France, the host nation, faced the United States in their opening match, which ended in a draw. Their only win came against Uruguay, and they finished in second place. In their group-stage match, Fiji defeated France with a score of 19-12.
Fiji won the quarter-final match against Ireland and defeated Australia in the semi-final to reach the final. It was their third appearance in the final, and the first two ended in gold medals. France defeated Tokyo Olympics’ bronze medalist Argentina in the quarter-final and South Africa in the semi-final.
In the final, France won the gold medal with a score of 28-7. Fiji initially took the lead with a try from Joseva Talacolo, which was converted by Iowane Teba. However, France quickly responded with a try from Jefferson-Lee Joseph. The second half saw Antoine Dupont take center stage, as he scored two tries and set up Aaron Grandidier Nkanang for another. Rayan Rebbadj, Paulin Riva (who scored twice), and Jean-Pascal Barraque successfully converted all four tries.
Women’s Event
New Zealand, the defending champion, was placed in Group A along with Canada, China, and Fiji. New Zealand finished first in Group A with three wins, while Canada remained in second place with two wins in three matches. In the group-stage match, New Zealand secured a 33-7 victory over Canada.
In the quarter-final, New Zealand won against China with a decisive score of 55-5. Canada stunned host nation France with a 19-14 victory, eliminating France’s hopes of double gold in the rugby seven events. New Zealand progressed to the final after defeating the United States in the semi-final, while Canada defeated Australia with a score of 21-12 in the other semi-final match.
The women’s rugby sevens final saw New Zealand triumph over Canada with a 19-12 victory, securing their gold medal despite Canada leading 12-7 at halftime in a surprising turn of events. Canada’s silver medal marked their best-ever Olympic finish.
Bronze Medalists
Men’s Event
South Africa and Australia had different journeys in their respective groups. South Africa finished third in Group A with a record of one win and two losses. Australia, on the other hand, finished first in Group B with three wins in three matches.
South Africa overcame the challenge of New Zealand, Tokyo Olympics’ silver medalist in the quarter-final with a score of 14-7. However, they were unable to advance past the semi-finals as France beat South Africa 19-5.
Australia won 18-0 over the United States in the quarter-finals, marking its first advancement to this stage in Olympic history. Fiji defeated Australia in the semi-final.
Australia faced South Africa in the bronze medal match. The two teams had a face-off at the Rio 2016 quarter-finals, where South Africa won the match.
This time too, South Africa won. The bronze medal match ended with a score of 26-19 in favour of South Africa, while Australia finished fourth. Despite being down to six players following captain Nick Malouf’s red card, Australia made a comeback to equalize at 19-19 with tries from Corey Toole and Henry Patterson, but South Africa’s Shaun Williams scored in added time to secure victory. This marked Australia’s best Olympic result in rugby sevens since placing eighth in Rio and seventh in Tokyo. It was South Africa’s second bronze medal in rugby sevens after winning the same during the inaugural event in Rio.
Women’s Event
Australia won all three of its matches in Group B and finished first, scoring 89 points and conceding only 24. The United States finished second in Group C, winning two out of three matches, which allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-finals, Australia delivered a commanding 40-7 victory over Ireland. The United States defeated Great Britain 17-7, marking their first advancement past the quarterfinals in Olympic history.
The United States lost the semi-final against the defending champions, New Zealand with a score of 12-24. Canada stopped Australia’s unbeaten run in the semi-final with a 21-12 victory.
The United States won the bronze medal, their first-ever Olympic rugby sevens medal with a 14-12 victory over Australia. The Aussies initially took the lead with a try from Maddison Levi, but the Team USA equalized through Alev Kelter. After a tightly contested game, Alex Sedrick’s decisive play in the closing moments secured the win.
Australian women’s team won the gold medal in the first-ever rugby sevens event at the 2016 Olympics. That has been their only medal since. They finished fifth in the Tokyo 2020 Games and fourth at the Rugby Sevens Olympics 2024.
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