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Pic: Kenya Lionesses squad after arriving from South Africa. | September 2015

The World Rugby has confirmed today that the lionesses (Kenya’s National women’s rugby 7s team) will participate in the Rio Olympics that will take place next year in place of South Africa.

Kenya Lionesses have qualified to the RIO2016 Olympics after Springbok Women’s 7s team qualification and Subsequent IOC invitation was declined by the SASCOC (South Africa Sports Confederation and Olympics Committee.).

SASCOC had ruled in mid November that it won’t accept qualification through continental routes, saying they (South Africa women’s 7s) are too weak.

Here is a quick reminder of the qualification process.

Women’s Olympics Qualification Rules - REALLOCATION OF UNUSED QUALIFICATION PLACES

If an allocated quota place is not confirmed by the NOC by the confirmation of quota place deadline or is declined by the NOC, the quota place will be reallocated as follows:

-  If the team (South Africa Women’s 7s) qualified through the Regional Qualification Tournament, the quota place will be reallocated to the next highest ranked team from the same Regional Qualification Tournament (Kenya Lionesses).

-  In respect of the Final Olympic Qualification Tournament, the NOCs of all teams that have qualified to participate in the tournament must confirm prior to the tournament that the NOC will accept the qualification place. If due to exceptional circumstances the quota place cannot be filled then it will be reallocated to the next highest ranked team from the Final Olympic Qualification Tournament.