Women's rugby squad is first Canadian team to qualify for Paris 2024 Olympics

Canada’s women’s sevens team has officially qualified for a spot in the 2024 Olympics.

The rugby squad triumphantly clinched their position at the Paris Games after a dominant 53-0 win over Mexico in the 2023 Rugby Americas North Sevens Final this past weekend.

Adding to the sweetness of the moment, the contest was won at Langford’s Starlight Stadium in BC.

The journey to Olympic qualification began with an outstanding performance on Saturday, where the women’s team secured three round-robin victories. The momentum continued as they faced St. Lucia in the semi-finals. Up 24-0 by halftime, St. Lucia was the only team who managed to break Canada’s defence all weekend.

Nonetheless, the game concluded with Canada winning by a commanding margin of 41-7.

Krissy Scurfield, Fancy Bermudez, Maddy Grant, Asia Hogan-Rochester, and Florence Symonds collectively contributed to the epic win.

After the Sevens final concluded, head coach Jack Hanratty expressed pride in the team’s creativity and performance.

“I think we played some really good rugby in that final, and we were so connected,” said Hanratty. “I think we’ve been creative [with preparation] over the last couple weeks and that final, some of the style that we played was awesome. I’m just really proud and relieved that this group of people that we get to see every day get to enjoy a moment like this with their friends and family in a home stadium.”

The women’s gold medal secured their status as the first Canadian team from a team sport to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Meanwhile, Canada’s men’s sevens team continues its quest for a Paris 2024 qualification through the Final Olympic Repechage Tournament. Despite a resilient effort in the Final this past weekend, the men’s team faced a 24-14 loss to the United States.

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