Rahul Bose Sets 2032 Olympics Target for Indian Women’s Rugby Sevens Team

Rugby India President Rahul Bose has said the Indian women’s Rugby Sevens team is working towards qualification for the 2032 Olympic Games, describing it as one of the federation’s major long-term ambitions.

Speaking in Bhubaneswar, Bose said consistent participation in the Asia Rugby Emirates competitions was providing Indian players with valuable international exposure against stronger Asian teams.

India’s women are currently sixth in Asia, and recently achieved their best-ever Asian Games finish by taking sixth place at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games.

India Targeting Major Climb in Asian Rugby

Bose said Rugby India had set the Olympic qualification target around five years ago and was now assessing whether the women’s side could improve sufficiently over the coming seasons.

He said the team had risen sharply in the continental standings, moving from around 14th position roughly two-and-a-half years ago to sixth.

The Indian women have continued to show progress this season, finishing a historic fifth in Round 2 of the 2026 Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series in Colombo.

Asia Rugby Events Provide International Exposure

Bose highlighted the importance of the Asia Rugby Emirates competitions for Indian teams across senior, U20 and U18 categories.

He said regular participation allows Indian players to compete against five or six international teams each year and gain experience that cannot be replicated through domestic tournaments.

Bhubaneswar is also preparing to host the Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens Championship 2026 at Kalinga Stadium on November 14 and 15, with 10 nations participating across the men’s and women’s competitions.

Olympic Qualification Requires Success in Asia

Bose said the pathway to the Olympics would require India to move much closer to the top of Asian Rugby Sevens.

Under Rugby Sevens qualification pathways, continental competitions play an important role in determining which teams progress directly or reach further qualification tournaments.

For India, that means consistently competing with leading Asian teams such as China, Japan and Hong Kong China.

Women’s Team Showing Steady Progress

India’s women returned to the Asian Games in Hangzhou after missing the 2014 and 2018 editions and finished seventh there.

At the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, they improved to sixth after beating Malaysia and Singapore, recording two victories at a single Asian Games for the first time.

The side has also competed for a second consecutive season in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series, giving players more regular exposure at continental level.

Bose Hopeful of Qualification by 2032

Discussing the India women rugby 2032 Olympics goal, Bose acknowledged that progress would become increasingly difficult as the team moved closer to Asia’s leading sides.

However, he said the federation remained hopeful that five more years of international competition and structured development could put the team in contention for Olympic qualification.

He described reaching the Olympics as the federation’s “ambition, motivation and endeavour.”

A Historical Clarification on Indian Team Sports

During his remarks, Bose suggested hockey had effectively been India’s only Olympic team sport for decades.

Hockey has unquestionably been India’s most successful Olympic team sport, but it has not been the only one historically. India’s men’s football team competed at several Olympic Games through Rome 1960, including a fourth-place finish at Melbourne 1956.

So Bose’s comment is best understood as emphasising hockey’s exceptional longevity and success at the Olympics rather than as a literal historical description.

Bhubaneswar Returns to International Rugby

The comments come as international rugby returns to Odisha after an eight-year gap.

The upcoming U20 championship at Kalinga Stadium will feature India, Hong Kong China, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Nepal and Jordan.

The event gives India’s young players another opportunity to gain international experience as Rugby India builds towards its longer-term Olympic ambitions.