Fiji to Play Japan in Tokyo 2020 Rugby Sevens Opener; Match Schedule Confirmed

Rio 2016 Olympic champions Fiji will take on hosts Japan at 09:00 local time (GMT+9) on 26 July in the opening match of the men’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic rugby sevens competition.

The women’s competition gets underway on 29 July when France face Fiji.

Another highlight in the men’s schedule sees antipodean rivals New Zealand and Australia take to the pitch in the final match in Pool A on 27 July.

The men’s competition will culminate with the gold medal match at 18:00 local time on 28 July.

Japan’s women will start their campaign against reigning Olympic champions Australia in the fourth match of the day on 29 July.

The women’s gold medal match will take place at 18:00 local time on 31 July, as part of ‘Super Saturday’ – traditionally a highlight of the Games.

In June, the 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams were allocated to three pools of four, according to rankings based upon performances in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and other World Rugby sanctioned tournaments over the past two years.

As the countdown to Tokyo gathers pace, many teams have already announced their squads with a number of players that have starred in Rugby World Cups in the 15s game selected to try and attain Olympic glory for their countries in Tokyo.

Alan Gilpin, World Rugby Chief Executive, said, “With today’s confirmation of the match schedule we move an important step closer to the highly anticipated kick-off for Olympic rugby sevens in Tokyo. Players and teams can now fine-tune their preparations for every match, while fans around the globe can mark their calendars and set their alarm clocks to cheer on their teams.”

The men's schedule can be seen here and the women's here.

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