– I have to admit, it doesn’t usually happen, laughs president Per Thorkildsen of the Norwegian Rugby Union. You might think that host nation France’s 28-7 victory in the rugby sevens final against Fiji, and their first gold at the Paris Games, would be the focus as the tournament concluded in Paris on Saturday night. But in addition to French jubilation, the images from the battle for seventh place between the USA and Argentina are something that will probably be remembered. Not necessarily for the match itself, which Argentina won 19-0 earlier Saturday, but for what happened afterwards. Then both American Stephen Tomasin and Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró took off their shorts inside the Stade de France. NEW SHORTS: There may not have been a medal, but a change of shorts was arranged by two rugby athletes in the Olympics. Here they are trying on the new shorts. Photo: AP Unusual change The Norwegian rugby president was taken to bed by the unusual change in the Olympics. – You like to change shirts, that’s perfectly normal, but not shorts. I have not seen that before, says Thorkildsen. Sports director Raik Tietze in the Norwegian Rugby Union agrees with Thorkildsen. Because the phenomenon is not a common sight in the sport of rugby. – To be honest, I’m a little unsure about that. I didn’t see the game myself, but it’s the first time I’ve heard of such a switch. I don’t think it’s very common, he says. The two competitors had several close duels during the match, like this one, where Tomasin frantically tried to stop Isgró: HANGING ON: American Tomasin took a firm grip on opponent Isgró’s shorts. The effort paid off when he finally got the shorts to own. Photo: Reuters – Only positive Tietze also presents a hypothesis as to why it was precisely shorts that were changed: – It may be that suits are the most common to change, but they can be torn up. So maybe it’s the case that the shorts are what’s left, he says in wonder. – But that is not the standard. At the same time, it creates attention for the sport, so why not, adds the sports manager. FRENCH JUBILEE: It may have been Antoine Dupont (front) and the rest of the French teammates who won Olympic gold in rugby, but the focus of the sea was elsewhere. Photo: Reuters Thorkildsen, for his part, says that it is only nice that shorts are exchanged between athletes. – Rugby is a sport that is very tough on the field, but friendly and pleasant outside. Bringing memories from a match with you is only positive, Thorkildsen believes. Macron in the stands And back to the final of the rugby sevens tournament, French President Emmanuel Macron, together with the home crowd at the Stade de France, could cheer for their recent Olympic champions. ON THE PLACE: French President Emmanuel Macron was in the stands to see France take home Olympic gold in rugby sevens. Photo: AFP Fiji, which won gold in men’s rugby sevens in both the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, ended up taking silver. For Fiji, it was the first time they lost an Olympic match in men’s rugby sevens, an exercise that first appeared on the Olympic program in 2016. At the same time, South Africa became bronze winners after winning their match over Australia. The rugby tournaments do not stop with Saturday’s final. Already on Sunday, the women’s rugby sevens tournament starts, where New Zealand is the reigning champion. news has approached both the American and Argentinian rugby union and asked if there was any special reason behind the unusual switch, but has not yet received an answer. Published 27/07/2024, at 22.43 Updated 27.07.2024, at 22.56
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Rugby players changed shorts after a match in the Olympics in Paris 2024 – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
