Australia stars past and present have become the latest to put their weight behind the IRB's campaign for Rugby Sevens' introduction into the Olympic Games, only days out from the IOC Executive Board meet in Berlin to recommend two new sports for inclusion in 2016.
Two former Wallaby captains in Mark Ella and Simon Poidevin, both Sevens stars in their careers, Wallaroos captain Cheryl Soon and teammate Ruan Sims along with current Wallabies Berrick Barnes and James O'Connor all voiced their enthusiasm for Rugby Sevens to join Olympic programme.
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Teenager O'Connor - who became the second youngest ever to play for the Wallabies last year - knows only too well the potential of Sevens, having starred at the Hong Kong Sevens as a 17-year-old and subsequently been drafted straight into the Western Force Super 14 squad.
"When you think of excellence in sport, the Olympic Games is the first image you think of. To be able to attend an Olympics as a Rugby player would be an amazing experience," said O'Connor, who will be only 26 come the 2016 Games.
"Playing against the Barbarians in London last year relived an earlier time when Rugby was an Olympic sport, and Australia won gold. The possibility that Rugby could once again be played at the Olympics is an exciting prospect."
Experience of a lifetime
O'Connor's teammate Barnes admits that to represent their country in the Olympics would be a dream and an opportunity of a lifetime for Rugby players around the world.
"The Olympic Games represents the ultimate in sporting competition, so to have the chance to participate at the Games would be the fulfilment of a dream for Rugby players all over the world.
"The opportunity to mix with athletes from other sports and enjoy the common thread of representing your country on the biggest stage in sport would be the experience of a lifetime."
This is a sentiment echoed by Wallaroos captain Soon, who led Australia to the first ever Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens crown in Dubai earlier this year, and teammate Sims.
Soon was part of the International Rugby Board's delegation that presented Rugby Sevens' case for Olympic inclusion to the IOC in June, and along with Sims last weekend helped Australia qualify for next year's Women's Rugby World Cup with victory over Samoa in their Oceania play-off in Apia.
"It's played by some of the fittest, fastest and most skillful athletes in the world," explained Soon. "To compete at the Olympics would be a dream come true, not just for myself but for everyone playing Rugby.
Magic about Sevens
"I know a lot of girls were inspired by our success in Dubai and it has also encouraged them to take up the sport. If Rugby Sevens was included in the Olympics the growth of the sport would definitely surge because people would want to represent their country at the Olympics."
Sims added: "To be an Olympian would be the absolute pinnacle of my sporting career. If I could don an Australian jersey and represent my country in an Olympic sport I'd love it.
"If I could don an Australian jersey and represent my country in an Olympic sport I'd love it. I played basketball before Rugby and I wanted to go to the Olympics. Then Rugby took over and became my priority.
"If Rugby was included in the Olympics, then to be a member of that Australian team in 2016 would be the ultimate."
Ella, one of the most popular players at the Hong Kong Sevens throughout the 1980s, believes that Rugby has so much to offer the Olympic Movement being a game which continues to grow across the world.
"There has always been a sense of magic about Sevens," said Ella, a veteran of 25 caps for Australia. "The skill, the pace, the thrills - there is a massive enjoyment factor for players and spectators alike and it would surely fill a main stadium during the first week of an Olympics.
"It is a game which relies on the intuition and natural flair of players and it's a game that continues to grow on a global basis.
Gold medal potential
"One of the greatest outcomes from the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai this year was that eight different nations qualified for the semi finals across the men's and women's competitions.
"Those countries were Wales, Argentina, Kenya, Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. How many other sports could come up with that sort of diversity and global spread?"
For Poidevin, a veteran of 59 Tests in the Wallaby back row, the opportunity that Rugby Sevens provides for nations such as Fiji, Samoa and Tonga who have never won an Olympic gold medal to realise that honour is another positive.
"Sevens is not only highly entertaining, but success is not restricted to the traditional heavyweights of the 15-a-side game," he admitted. "The emergence of Kenya over the past couple of seasons is evidence of that, and the Pacific Island nations, led by Fiji, have long been at the forefront of Sevens Rugby.
"Olympic inclusion would boost the chances of the Pacific Island countries having the chance to stand on an Olympic podium. That has to be great for the Olympic movement, not just for Rugby.
"Sevens also attracts multi-cultural audiences around the world. You think of Hong Kong over the years and the immense popularity of Sevens there. The drawing power of major tournaments around the globe also illustrates what desire there is for Rugby followers to be there at games to support their national teams."
