Lomu joins rugby sevens Olympic bandwagon

 FORMER New Zealand star Jonah Lomu has thrown his considerable weight behind rugby sevens' bid for Olympic inclusion and will travel to Copenhagen next week ahead of the International Olympic Committee's decision.

 UNSTOPPABLE: Jonah Lomu begins another blistering run against Italy at the 1999 Rugby World Cup

The 34-year-old, who tops the list of Rugby World Cup try scorers, will join International Rugby Board President Bernard Lapasset and Secretary General Mike Miller in the Danish capital ahead of the vote.

Rugby sevens, along with golf, was shortlisted for Olympic inclusion by the IOC Executive Board in August, ensuring the sport will face a simple majority vote from 106 IOC members next week.

And the 18-stone, 6ft 5ins Kiwi, who has a rich pedigree at the shortened form of the game, scooping 1998 Commonwealth gold with the All Blacks in Kuala Lumpur, believes rugby sevens would be the perfect addition to the Olympic schedule.

"Playing at the Commomwealth Games was a major highlight of my career and it gave me a taste of what it must be like to be part of the Olympic family," he said.

"It would be fantastic for rugby and fantastic for the Olympic Games - it has all the right ingredients.

"It is explosive, exciting, unpredictable and due to its highly-competitive nature, it gives the opportunity for smaller rugby nations to win a medal.

"It is effective in reaching new audiences around the world, attractive to broadcasters and sponsors and I think sevens would be a popular addition to the Games."

Lomu burst onto the rugby scene as a larger-than-life battering ram at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, scoring seven tries in five matches, including four against England.

But Lomu, who saw his career brought to a premature end as a result of a rare kidney disorder, is adamant it was sevens which gave him his break in the game.

"Sevens launched my career and I would not have been the player or person that I am without it," he added.

"I enjoyed the experience immensely and the special attributes of camaraderie and respect that comes with being on the sevens circuit."