United Kingdomcountry of origin
1823first recorded
1900Olympic debut
6disciplines & variants
6international bodies
Rugby union is a team sport and ball game, part of rugby. It originated in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with its first record dating to 1823. The sport is governed internationally by World Rugby. It has featured at the Olympic Games since 1900 (7 editions). Wikidata lists 6 disciplines or variants under it.
Part ofRugby
TypeTeam sports, Ball games
Country of originUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
First recorded1823
PractitionersRugby union player, Rugby union coach, Rugby union executive
Governing bodyWorld Rugby, Sudamérica Rugby, Rugby Africa
Olympic statusOn the programme · since 1900
Family tree
Disciplines and variants
6
Rugby sevens7-a-side team sport, sub-code of rugby unionTouchSport derived from rugby footballWheelchair rugbySport of rugby union adapted for participants in wheelchairs
BaretteForm of football originating in the south-west of France
Beach rugbySport
Rugby tensVariant of rugby union in which teams are made up of ten players
Olympic Games
Olympic history
Editions where Rugby union or one of its disciplines was on the programme. Filled boxes mark the sport itself, outlined ones its disciplines; the small number is the count of medal events where recorded.
Multi-sport events
At other multi-sport games
| Games | Editions | First | Latest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Paralympic Games | 2 | 1996 | 2000 | 1996, 2000 |
| Summer Youth Olympic Games | 1 | 2014 | 2014 | 2014 |
| World Games | 4 | 2001 | 2013 | 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013 |
| Mediterranean Games | 4 | 1955 | 1993 | 1955, 1979, 1983, 1993 |
| Commonwealth Games | 3 | 1998 | 2018 | 1998, 2002, 2018 |
| Asian Games | 2 | 2006 | 2018 | 2006, 2018 |
| Central American and Caribbean Games | 2 | 2014 | 2018 | 2014, 2018 |
| Bolivarian Games | 2 | 2013 | 2017 | 2013, 2017 |
| South American Games | 1 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Pan American Games | 1 | 2015 | 2015 | 2015 |
World level
World championships
| Championship | Organiser | First held | Every | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby World Cup | World Rugby | 1985 | 4 yr | 13 |
| Rugby World Cup | World Rugby | 1991 | 4 yr | 13 |
Editions — seasons or tournaments recorded as separate entries in Wikidata.Nothing found — try another filter.
Governance
Governing bodies
What you need
Equipment and playing area
Playing area
Equipment