The 2024 Olympic Games have begun and Rugby Sevens is one of the many sports that you might tune in to.

As the Olympic Games have such a range of different sports, including some that aren’t usually widely televised, you might find yourself watching a sport you don’t fully understand.

While you can sometimes start to pick up the rules as you watch, having some background knowledge beforehand is often useful.

To help you out, we’ve broken down some key questions on Rugby Sevens and how the sport works in the Olympic Games.

How will Olympic Rugby Sevens work at Paris 2024?

Introduced to the Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro 2016, Rugby Sevens has quickly captured the world's imagination.

In Brazil, it was Fiji’s men who raced to the inaugural gold as Australia won the women’s competition.

Team GB’s men were silver medallists in 2016, whilst at Tokyo 2020, the men’s and women’s teams both missed out on the podium in the bronze medal match.

Who invented Rugby Sevens?

Rugby Sevens was invented in Melrose, Scotland, in 1883. Butchers Ned Haig and David Sanderson are credited with creating the format of rugby union, which was primarily used to fundraise for their local club, Melrose RFC.

Quickly the format became extremely popular across the globe thanks to needing fewer playing numbers than the 15-a-side game, along with being fast-paced and having exciting play.

How long is a Rugby Sevens match?

A Rugby Sevens match consists of two seven-minute halves and a maximum of two minutes for half-time.

How many players are on a Rugby Sevens team?

For a match, each team will field seven players. To utilise their full squads, teams can nominate and use up to five replacements in any one fixture.

What are the rules of rugby sevens?

The laws of Rugby Sevens are largely similar to those of Rugby Union, although there are several variations.

These variations include that conversions are drop-kicked, there are no rolling mauls and that scrums are contested by only six players.

How do you score points in Rugby Sevens?

There are a number of ways to score points in Rugby Sevens. These are; tries (five points), conversions (two points), penalty tries (seven points) penalties and drop goals (both three points).

What positions are there in Rugby Sevens?

There are seven positions in a Rugby Sevens team. Split into three forward positions and four backs, players are often required to fill in at multiple positions in this format of rugby.

Forwards positions are; loosehead prop, hooker and tighthead prop. These positions are taken up by the most physical players in a team and all three players contest at the scrum.

Backs positions; scrum-half, fly-half, centre and wing.

Similarly to 15-a-side rugby, it is the scrum-half and fly-half that dictate play on the field, while the wing and centre are out-and-out flyers that finish off try scoring opportunities.

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What happens in Rugby Sevens if there is a draw?

During the pool stage of a tournament, two points will be awarded for a draw.

In the knockout stages of a competition, teams will face off to score the ‘golden point’ in extra-time where play will take place in periods of five minutes until the first team scores.

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What do yellow and red cards mean in Rugby Sevens?

Receiving a yellow card in Rugby Sevens will see a player leave the field for two minutes.

Like in rugby union, a red card means that a player cannot return to the field of play or be replaced by their team.