olympics

Question
1.Why is rugby not introduced in olympics?Is there any chance for it being introduced in the near future?
2.This is a general question-What was the mascot of olympics 2000?

Answer
I apologize for taking so long in answering this.  I have been at the World Scholar Athlete Games as a rugby coach and pretty much out of the loop.

1.  
a.  Introduced by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (who refereed the first ever French championship final), rugby was on the Olympic program at Paris in 1900, at London in 1908, Antwerp in 1920, and Paris again in 1924. In 1928 the I.O.C. turned down the request to stage rugby at the Amsterdam games. Three factors were believed to be behind this: the IOC wanted more emphasis on individual sports; women's athletics had swollen the number of competitors; and the sport did not receive the backing that it should have from the British entries. Both the Soviet Union in 1980 and South Korea in 1988 made attempts to have rugby readmitted, and it should be pointed out that South Korea came desperately close to achieving their aim. (I pulled this off of the internet)

b.  "Rugby attempting Olympic return for 2008
By The Associated Press, October 5, 2000 3:09 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) -- Rugby could be making a return to the Olympics after an absence of more than 70 years, according to international organizers of the rough and tumble sport.

Proposals for rugby's inclusion in the 2008 Olympics have been presented to the IOC and four of the five cities vying to host the games, said Vernon Pugh, chairman of the International Rugby Board.

''We are doing our very best to get rugby back into the Olympics,'' Pugh said at a news conference. ''The reception that we received was judged to be extremely successful with high levels of interest being expressed by the IOC members present.''

Rugby last appeared as an Olympic sport in the 1924 Games in Paris, when the United States beat favorites France in the finals. The upset was marred by fights in the stands and a chorus of boos drowning out the Star Spangled Banner as the winners received their gold medals.

Pugh called rugby's inclusion by the 2004 Games in Athens ''problematic'' for logistical reasons, but he said that Osaka,Japan; Paris and Toronto had expressed enthusiasm.

Beijing and Istanbul are also finalists to host the Games.

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press"

Obivously I pulled this from the AP website

2.  The Sidney Olympics had three offical mascots and several unofficial mascots.  The official mascots were:

Millie- a hedgehog looking little beastie

Syd- a Duckbill Platypus

Olly- a Kookaburra (a native aussie bird)

I hope this is of some assistance.

Deane Shephard