Canada is mainly known for its ice hockey team in the Winter Olympics, with sixteen gold medals, six silver and three bronze medals.

How exactly did Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team do so well at the Summer Olympics?

One major factor of its rugby success was programmes that aimed to popularise the sport in Canada. Rugby Canada and the Canadian Rugby Foundation signed a 2022 memorandum to foster the growth and development of the sport in the region.

But even before then, the sport was being nurtured by British immigrants and military personnel in 1823. Rugby eventually spread to various cities including Halifax, Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver in the 19th century.

The first women’s match was played in 1987 in Victoria, British Columbia. They also competed in the 1991 inaugural Women’s Rugby World Cup in Wales and placed fifth place after defeating Spain 19–4 in the Plate final.

Canada has appeared in every World Cup since.

Canada also clearly invests in their sports programs and emphasises its international appeal to budding players. There are more than 30 women’s clubs across the country, and a Western Canadian Women’s Championship has been held annually since 1983.

Canada’s women’s rugby team has been excelling even at the Olympics.

The team will take home a silver medal after losing to reigning Olympic champion New Zealand. The Canadians played their best and lost the match 19-12, despite leading efforts right before half-time.

This would be the team’s second Olympic medal after winning bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Prior to their defeat, Canada’s rugby sevens Olympic team has been on an impressive winning streak in the 2024 Paris Olympics. They beat France 19-14 in the Women’s Tournament’s quarter-finals and dominated Australia in the semi-finals with a 21-12 score.

This was a spectacular feat for the Canadians considering Australia beat Ireland 40-7 and were considered favourites for the gold medal.