Wales and England, world rugby champions, have reportedly welcomed the official decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday to include the sport at the 2016 Olympic Games, in which Rio de Janeiro will be hosting.
The last time rugby was played at the Olympics was in 1924 when Paris hosted the Games.

The IOC officials voted for the addition of rugby sevens and golf during a gathering in Copenhagen last week.

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) Head of Performance and Development Joe Lydon said that the decision is a big boost for the sport. He added that more people will become interested in the sport which would mean more revenues and sponsors for the sport.

Wales clinched the men’s title at the Rugby Sevens World Championship in March this year. The event was hosted by Dubai. The women’s title was won by Australia.

This time, Wales will compete with players from Scotland and England for a spot for the British Team in the 2016 Games.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has reportedly redistributed over £17 million in funding this year, overtaking last year’s reported figure of £15.2 million.

WRU, together with the Millennium Stadium companies, stated on its financial reports dated end of May that it records its second highest turnover yet at £49.4 million, slightly lower than last year’s £50.3 million. More than 80 percent were generated from international rugby games (only two came from home RBS Six Nations games).

The funding was distributed to four professional teams totaling £12.1 million while funding for semi-professional game was £1.1 million. Community game got an additional investment worth £3.8 million.

WRU Chief Executive Roger Lewis said that the team’s success in rugby contributed a lot for the business. He added that the best coaching and structures set in place made it possible for Wales to create winning results this year. WRU currently employs more than 170 employees.