Dupont to start his Olympic journey

NEWS: French captain and scrumhalf Antoine Dupont is expected at his first preparatory day for the Paris Olympics rugby Sevens event.

Dupont will join 16 other seven-a-side players on Wednesday at the national Marcoussis centre ahead of his two world circuit Sevens events in Vancouver in February and in Los Angeles in March – with the Olympics starting July 26.

His club Toulouse, the French Rugby Federation and Dupont announced the news he would be taking part in mid-November.

French rugby’s poster boy, Dupont, was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2021 and won the Six Nations Grand Slam during his 52 Test appearances.

“For all sports fans, the Olympic Games are mythical,” Dupont said in November when announcing he would be missing the upcoming Six Nations championship to prepare for Paris 2024.

“Being able to host such a sporting event in France, it is going to be an incredible party,” he added.

The men’s Sevens at the Olympics will be held at the Stade de France just months after October’s disappointing result in the 15-a-side code in the same stadium – where France were eliminated in the World Cup by South Africa.

A host of other leading 15-a-side players have featured at past Olympic Games – including South Africa wing Cheslin Kolbe and former New Zealand centre Sonny Bill Williams, who have both won the World Cup twice.

Fiji have won the two men’s gold medals since Sevens was introduced into the Olympics with the longer format of the sport having last featured in 1924.

Dupont’s football counterpart, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe is also keen to take part in the Games on home soil.