World Rugby has announced the squad of 23 match officials, that will take charge of the rugby sevens competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, from the 24th to the 30th of July. The squad features match officials from 16 countries, including the first referee from Germany to appear in an Olympic rugby sevens competition; Maria Latos.
All six of World Rugby’s regional associations are being represented at the games, and five officials will attend their second Olympic Games. Paulo Duarte (Portugal), Francisco González (Uruguay), Tyler Miller (Australia), Tevita Rokovereni (Fiji) and Jordan Way (Australia) all get set to call the Olympic action for the second time.
Jérémy Rozier (France) was selected for Tokyo 2021 but had to withdraw a month before the tournament due to an ACL injury. Ano Kuwai (Japan) will create history as the first person to both play rugby sevens and referee at the Olympic Games, having been part of the Japan Sevens team at Rio 2016.
Kuwai is one of six females selected on the women’s cohort, all of whom have previoulsy refereed international rugby. The female referees include Maggie Cogger-Orr (New Zealand) and Kat Roche (USA) who took charge of matches in this year’s Women’s Six Nations and Tyler Miller (Australia), who made her test debut in the World Rugby Pacific Four Series last month.
The full match official squad for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is:
Men’s tournament:
Ben Breakspear (Wales, Great Britain)
Paulo Duarte (Portugal)
Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Francisco González (Uruguay)
Nick Hogan (New Zealand)
AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
Reuben Keane (Australia)
Adam Leal (England, Great Britain)
Tevita Rokovereni (Fiji)
Jérémy Rozier (France)
Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Jordan Way (Australia)
Women’s tournament:
Finlay Brown (Scotland, Great Britain)
Craig Chan (Hong Kong China)
Talal Chaudhry (Canada)
Maggie Cogger-Orr (New Zealand)
Ano Kuwai (Japan)
Maria Latos (Germany)
Cisco Lopez (USA)
Tyler Miller (Australia)
Lavenia Rawaca (Fiji)
Kat Roche (USA)
George Selwood (England, Great Britain)
World Rugby High Performance Sevens Referee Manager Paddy O’Brien said: “I am very excited to be managing a hugely experienced and talented group of match officials to Paris 2024.
“To have so many countries represented as well as knowing every region is involved gives our management team a huge amount of satisfaction and is testament to the pathways we have had in place over the past four years.
“All those selected have worked extremely hard to ensure that when we arrive in Paris, we will have officials able to referee and officiate to the level required for such a special event.”
Ano Kuwai said: “It was special to be in the Olympic Games as a player and now I cannot wait to go Paris as a referee.”
Jérémy Rozier said: “It is very special for me to be involved in an Olympic Games, it’s a dream for players and referees. I’m especially pleased as I had to miss Tokyo due to an ACL injury after being selected, so coming back from this disappointment, training hard to be fit and take this chance to be in Paris. It will be an amazing tournament for me at home in Paris where I live, with all my family there.