The official called for assistance "within the usual boundaries of communication between ANOC and International Federations", adding that this "would ensure the dreams of athletes are realised".

"The small island countries feel that solving eligibility issues is crucial to the development of rugby," he added.

After first highlighting the great opportunity rugby's addition to the programme provides for Pacific Island nations such as Samoa, Sheikh Ahmad, also President of the Olympic Council of Asia, claimed he was happy to receive the request and would coordinate with the IRB and its French President Bernard Lapasset ahead of Rio 2016. 

A major controversy in the sport for many years, numerous players across the world have switched nationality.

The Pacific Islands, including Fiji and Tonga as well as Samoa, has been particularly hard hit, with numerous players from these nations switching to mostly Australia or New Zealand.

The IRB has added an eligbility clause to Regulation 8 of its Laws Relating to the Games to try to bring it more into line with the International Olympic Committee, whose rules on switching nationalities are different.

A special rule only for the rugby sevens competition at Rio 2016, this reduces the length of time a player must not play for a nation in order to switch nationality to another from 36 to 18 months, with the player also requiring a passport of the country he seeks to switch to.

Isaia Toeava is one player Samoa would love to have in their Rio 2016 Olympic team
©Getty Images



This potentially means many top Pacific Islanders who have switched to other nations, but not played for that nation for over 18 months, could switch back to home countries, like Samoa, in time for the Olympics. 

World Cup winner Isaia Toeava, the back born in Moto'otua, Samoa but who has competed in New Zealand since he was at under-19 level, is one such star player who could potentially switch back to his birth nation.

Two other All Blacks, flanker Alando Soakai and winger Joe Rokocoko, could also theoretically switch back, to Tonga and Fiji respectively. 

The IRB now requires players to compete in a minimum of four World Series tournaments for their conversion to be approved, meaning it will be hard for top players to find time to compete in four different events in the midst of an already congested domestic fixture list.

Samoa, currently second behind neighbouring Fiji in the 2014-2015 IRB World Series standings, is already poised to be a major contender in Rio, but having some of their "foreign" stars back would boost excitement levels for a nation that has never won an Olympic medal.

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