Asia Rugby’s Women’s Sevens Squads for Tokyo 2020, The return of rugby sevens to the Olympic stage will put the women’s game under the spotlight once again with some of the world’s top players set to shine at this year’s global gathering.
Asia two Women’s teams China and Japan are both in pool C along with Australia and the USA.
China Women’s Sevens Squad
New head coach Euan Mackintosh has included three of the players – Yan Meiling, Yang Feifei and Liu Xiaoqian –
who helped China win the bronze medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014.
Meiling captained the side at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 but, on this occasion, it is Yan Min who gets the armband. Min, 26, made her World Series debut for China in Atlanta in 2014. Yu Xiaoming and Yu Liping pre-date her in that regard, having first appeared on the World Series in Dubai a couple of years before.
Chen Keyi, meanwhile, is a veteran of two Rugby World Cup Sevens campaigns and has proven to be a top performer for the team over a number of years.
Squad: Tang Minglin, Ruan Hongting, Wu Juan, Wang Wanyu, Liu Xiaoqian, Yan Meiling, Xu Xiaoyan, Yu Xiaoming, Yu Liping, Yang Min (captain), Chen Keyi, Yang Feifei, Gu Yaoyao
Japan Women’s Sevens Squad
Co-captains Mayu Shimizu and Bativakalolo Raichelmiyo will lead Japan at this year’s home Games as the Sakura Sevens look to make a bigger impact than they did during their Olympics debut at Rio 2016.
As the women’s game continues to make ground in Japan, they will be hoping to show steady improvements, having finished bottom of their group following defeats to Canada, Great Britain and Brazil five years ago, before going on to lose to the hosts Brazil again in the ninth-place final.
Ayaka Suzuki and Mio Yamanaka, who formed part of Japan’s playing squad in Rio de Janeiro, are also selected among four reserves for this year’s Olympics.
Squad: Mei Ohtani, Marin Kajiki, Mifuyu Koide, Mayu Shimizu (co-captain), Miyu Shirako, Honoka Tsutsumi, Hana Nagata, Bativakalolo Raichelmiyo (co-captain), Wakaba Hara, Yume Hirano, Haruka Hirotsu, Rinka Matsuda
