Rugby sevens at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Antoine Dupont hopes to lead France to victory in the men's rugby sevens

Rugby sevens only made its Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016, although the 15-a-side version featured in four Olympics between 1900 and 1924.

With France superstar Antoine Dupont strengthening the host's challenge for gold, the sevens tournament should be a thrilling sport to follow at Paris 2024.

Here is your guide to rugby sevens.

Rugby sevens venue and schedule at Paris 2024

The Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium and venue for last year's Rugby World Cup final, will stage all the matches.

The men's tournament starts on 24 July and is the first sport of the Paris Games to get under way. After a break for the opening ceremony on 26 July, the action finishes on 27 July with the semi-finals and medal matches.

The women's competition runs from 28 to 30 July.

Twelve men's and women's teams will take part.

Have Great Britain qualified for sevens at Paris 2024?

Great Britain have qualified for the women's event but the men fell short in their repechage final against South Africa in Monaco.

It means the men's side miss out on the Olympics for the first time since sevens made its debut at Rio 2016, when they won silver.

Ellie Kildunne and Megan Jones, two stars of England's all-conquering Women's Six Nations team, are in Britain's 12-strong squad for Paris.

Wales winger Jasmine Joyce is also included and is the first British rugby player to appear at three Olympic Games.

Ciaran Beattie’s squad is captained by England's Emma Uren.

Ireland have qualified teams in the men's and women's competitions and the women's team will face Great Britain in the pool stage.

Rugby sevens teams and pools

Men's pools

Pool A: New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Japan

Pool B: Australia, Argentina, Samoa, Kenya

Pool C: Fiji, France, USA, Uruguay

Women's pools

Pool A: New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, China

Pool B: Australia, Ireland, Great Britain, South Africa

Pool C: France, USA, Japan, Brazil

How does rugby sevens work?

Played on a full-size pitch but with seven players, teams contest two seven-minute halves per match and play several games in a day.

With only three forwards on the pitch, there are fewer scrums and line-outs than in the 15-a-side game but the rules are the same.

The pace of the game is relentless and with wide-open spaces, players need to have both speed and stamina in attack as well as strength and positioning in defence.

Points are scored in the same way as the 15-a-side game: five points for a try, two for a conversion, and three for a drop-goal or penalty.

Who are the defending Olympic sevens champions?

Fiji are the two-time defending Olympic men's champions following their popular wins at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

They beat Great Britain in the 2016 final and that silver remains Britain's best Olympic sevens result.

Australia won the women's gold medal in Rio, while New Zealand are the reigning champions.

GB finished fourth in both Rio and Tokyo after losing in the bronze-medal play-off matches.