Canada names Olympic women's rugby sevens squad looking to return to the podium

LANGFORD, B.C. — Team captain Olivia Apps will lead a Canadian women’s rugby sevens team looking to return to the podium at this summer's Paris Olympics.

Rugby Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced the roster Wednesday as Canada looks to improve on its ninth-place showing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Apps, from Lindsay, Ont., is one of three players returning from the Tokyo squad along with Toronto's Charity Williams and Keyara Wardley of Vulcan, Alta.

Williams is returning for a third Olympics after helping Canada win bronze at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, where women's rugby sevens made its Olympic debut.

Canada, which won silver at the 2023 Pan Am Games, booked a spot at the Olympics after going undefeated at a qualification tournament in Langford last August.

Women's rugby sevens will take place July 28-30 at the Stade de France. Canada has drawn in Pool A, alongside New Zealand, Fiji and People's Republic of China.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2024.

The Canadian Press