In the modern world of high performance, sports psychologists often eschew measurables like speed and distance in favour of intangibles like momentum and confidence. The Olympic sport of rugby sevens demonstrates speed and certainly travels distances in abundance, but most of all is benefiting from an irresistible force of momentum, an upward curve propelling it onwards into its Olympic future.

The men’s HSBC Sevens World Series, embarking on its 16th season, and the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, now in its third instalment, together provide the constant heartbeat of elite competition. Never before have they been more significant, or carried greater global appeal, than they do in 2015 and 2016.

Olympic qualifying

In the 2014-15 season both series double as direct qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games. The top-four ranked countries in each will book their places in Rio alongside the hosts, Brazil, guaranteeing their places in history. For the men that journey will take in nine rounds across five continents, while for the women an expanded season now visits six global stops.

For those who miss out on top-four status, the second half of 2015 will bring regional events from which six more qualifiers in both men’s and women’s will book their tickets to Rio. And for those still not on the plane, there’s a last chance saloon –one final global repechage event in the first half of 2016 –to qualify the 12th and final men’s and women’s teams.

All roads lead to Rio, and to Tokyo in 2020, and yet in truth rugby sevens has already made its Olympic debut, in 2014. With the dust barely settled on the giant success of the Commonwealth Games rugby sevens tournament in Glasgow, Nanjing hosted the latest Youth Olympic Games, where Australia and France won gold in the women’s and men’s categories respectively, in doing so carving out their own special niche in rugby folklore.

This link with youth is an important one to make too because rugby sevens will bring a youthful, playful vibe to the Olympics. On the field these are young athletes, undaunted by the extreme physical demands of the game’s shorter, lung-busting format. Off the field, fuelled by the intoxicating mix of sporting drama and party vibe, the crowds around the world help make rugby sevens the spectacle and success that it is.

It is no wonder, in fact, that National Olympic Committees and governments are now recognising new opportunities presented by hosting rugby sevens events, and backing their national teams. While the heartlands of international rugby will forever hold the sport’s character and principles dear, in truth access for the sport to establish itself and grow in other, younger markets was limited before this Olympic boon. Even the most die-hard fan stateside wouldn’t have dared dream that full-time USA sevens players – men and women –would live, train and dine alongside other more vaunted athletes at the county’s Olympic Training Centre in Chula Vista, California. Never had the notion been entertained that rugby, in any form, could enter into schools’ curricula in either China or Russia. And yet all of these things are now becoming a reality.

The perfect sevens team

Yes, throughout 2015 we are guaranteed fireworks as the best rugby sevens players try desperately to win a world series, and book their countries’ places in Rio. And after 2015, after a giant Rugby World Cup, things will get even more interesting. Because only then will some of rugby’s household names – Habana, Fofana, Folau, Halfpenny and Sonny Bill – possibly look to ‘cross codes’ and tick off what must be another burning career ambition: to be an Olympian. 

Will the sevens coaches take their requests seriously? Yes. Will they be guaranteed places in their countries’ sevens teams? No. Not without proving they are worthy of a place and fit enough to stand up to the game’s aerobic requirements. Many a good ‘fifteens’ player has tried and failed and it all points to a very interesting couple of years.

The 2014-15 season is the biggest yet by far, but beyond that is where all of rugby’s stars collide and sevens plays out to billions on free-to-air television. And that is when real change will happen.