Athletics legend Michael Johnson set for Dubai Rugby 7s to celebrate Olympics inclusion

Michael Johnson won four Olympic gold medals as well as eight gold at the World Championships. Courtesy: Dubai Rugby Sevens

American athletics legend Michael Johnson will be at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens to celebrate the inclusion of the sport at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

The Dubai Rugby Sevens will kick off the 2015/16 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series on December 3-5 as the world’s top sevens sides descend on the UAE. The season has an elevated importance, with sevens rugby being included in an Olympic Games for the first time.

To mark the inclusion of the sport at Rio 2016, four-time gold medallist Johnson will be in Dubai for the season-opener where he will meet the men’s and women’s teams and share his knowledge and experiences from the Olympics.

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“I’m looking forward to heading to Dubai, meeting the sport’s fans and, of course, the players,” Johnson said. “From all my years in athletics, I know just what it means to compete for your country at the highest level, particularly in an Olympic Games. The start of this season is a huge moment for them and it’s a huge moment for the sport.

“Dubai, as the starting block for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, is sure to be a supercharged tournament that will set the tone for ten ground breaking months of rugby, so I can’t wait to get involved.”

This year’s World Rugby Sevens Series has expanded to 10 locations, Cape Town, Syndey, Vancouver, Singapore, and Paris being added to the mainstays of Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Wellington, and Las Vegas.

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