Five Australians have been confirmed as match officials for the Rugby Sevens program at the Tokyo Olympics.
World Rugby revealed a squad of 22 match officials from 12 countries for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the Sevens action set to kick off on July 26.
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Amy Perrett leads the charge for Australia, which has the most representation (five) out of any country, having refereed the first-ever Olympic Rugby Sevens match along with the women’s bronze medal in 2016.
Perrett also recently became the first-ever female to take charge of a Super Rugby Match during the Brumbies clash with the Western Force last August.
She will officiate the Women's tournament alongside fellow Australians Tyler Miller and Madeline Putz, who have both made their name on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Miller, who was named WA Official of the Year in 2019, will be heading to her first Olympics.
It also caps a remarkable rise for Putz, who played four games for the Wallaroos, two at the Rugby World Cup in 2014.
Along with this, Damon Murphy and Jordan Way will officiate the men's competition.
Murphy continues his rapid development after representing Australia as a player at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup, recently picked to referee the gold medal match at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
For Way, it marks his first Olympics after he was also picked for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast
Rugby Australia's National Referee Manager, Scott Young, said: "It's fantastic to have such a large group of officials heading to Tokyo.
"With the games being postponed last year, it has allowed our team to take additional time to prepare to ensure the best possible performances come July.
"While we'd love to see the Australian teams in the Gold Medal finals, they can't then be officiated by Australians. However, we know the team is up for the challenge."
World Rugby High Performance Sevens Referee Manager Paddy O’Brien added: “We have selected a match officials squad that includes a good mix of experience and youth, with selection based on merit following a thorough evaluation of performances and I thank all those involved in the process.
“Just like the players, coaches and teams, the match officials are preparing and training hard in order to arrive in Tokyo in peak physical and mental condition to perform to the very best of their abilities or what will be a career highlight for all involved.
“We are proud of the leading position that rugby enjoys in the mutual respect and values demonstrated between match officials and players.
"The Olympic Games present an excellent opportunity to showcase the very best of rugby on the greatest sporting stage on the planet and I have every confidence that the individuals announced today will represent themselves and the sport with great integrity, skill and pride in Tokyo.”
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The men’s competition will take place from 26-28 July, followed by the women’s tournament on 29-31 July, with the gold medal match happening on ‘Super Saturday’.
All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which was the venue for the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.
The full match official squad for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Rugby Sevens:
Men’s tournament: James Doleman (New Zealand) Craig Evans (Wales, Great Britain) Francisco Gonzalez (Uruguay) Sam Grove-White (Scotland, Great Britain) Nori Hashimoto (Japan) Richard Haughton (England) Damon Murphy (Australia) Nehuen Rivero (Argentina) Matt Rodden (Hong Kong) Damian Schneider (Argentina) Jordan Way (Australia)
Women’s Sara Cox (England, Great Britain) Amy Perrett (Australia) Hollie Davidson (Scotland, Great Britain) Lauren Jenner (New Zealand) Adam Jones (Wales, Great Britain) Paulo Duarte (Portugal) Tyler Miller (Australia) Madeleine Putz (Australia) Tevita Rokovereni (Fiji) Selica Winiata (New Zealand) Julianne Zussman (Canada)
