Olympic Sevens smashes women's rugby attendance record

The Paris Olympics have smashed the women's rugby attendance record with 66,000 fans filling the Stade de France on Sunday for the opening day of the women's rugby sevens competition.

This attendance surpassed the previous record of 58,498 set at Twickenham during the England versus France Six Nations match in 2023.

Australia, France, New Zealand and the USA secured their places in the quarter-finals with dominant performances. Aussie try-scoring ace Maddison Levi stood out by scoring seven tries across two matches - bringing her Olympic total to ten.

Host nation France impressed the home crowd by winning both of their games without conceding a point as they defeated Japan and Brazil.

The competition continues on Monday with the final round of pool matches, followed by the quarter-finals later in the evening. The semi-finals and final is set for Tuesday.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: "After a scintillating men’s competition at these special coming of age Games for Rugby Sevens, it is fitting that yet another record has been smashed. With the world’s best women’s sevens players shining brightly on sport’s biggest stage, 66,000 fans were gripped by the action, while an unprecedented broadcast and digital audience will ensure that more young people in more nations and communities will be inspired by these awesome athletes, who are amongst the best in the world in sport.”

Australia captain Charlotte Caslick on what the team learned from not getting a medal at Tokyo 2020: “It is a part of sport that it brings highs and lows. But we have achieved a lot since then so we have definitely moved on and are really looking forward to this campaign. That loss in Tokyo has really helped us to grow.

“We have a lot of girls coming back after injuries. We do not have Kaitlin (Shave) who is out of the Olympics after an injury in the first game. But there are still many girls who are able to adapt to anything and they can do really well at this tournament.

“We just have to keep doing what we do, to keep performing. We don’t do it for recognition, we do it because we love each other and we love this sport. Hopefully, if we’re successful here we’ll go a long way.”

New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini on playing her first match since a serious knee injury in December: “It means a lot. It’s been a tough journey but I’m so grateful to the people around me to get me back to this point. I’m so happy to be back with the team and on the big stage.

On her fight to make the Olympic Games: “There have been a lot of doubts and a lot of isolation. I completely took myself away but we have an amazing medical team, they literally had every resource possible. I’m so proud to be back representing my family, everyone back in New Zealand.

“Wearing this black jersey means everything. It gives you superpowers. It has such a legacy and it’s one of the most powerful tools we can hold on to for a set amount of time. And when the time comes you give it to the next person.”