France captain Antoine Dupont is reportedly readying for a tilt at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, preparing to miss his side's 2024 Six Nations campaign to switch to sevens.
Widely regarded among the best players in the world, the 27-year-old halfback was the face of this year's Rugby World Cup in France, where Les Bleus exited at the quarter-final stage to eventual winners South Africa.
But reports in Europe suggest Dupont will temporarily shelve his ambitions in the 15-a-side game in order to switch to sevens and will take part in France's campaign in the newly rebranded SVNS, formerly the World Sevens Series.
AFP reported Dupont will link up with France's sevens side before next year's leg in Vancouver, beginning on February 23.
That will result in the halfback being unavailable for France's Six Nations campaign, which begins on February 3 against Ireland.
An announcement from the French Rugby Federation is expected on Monday, local time.
Meanwhile, another player swapping 15s for sevens is former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, confirmed in Australia's plans for Paris 2024.
Hooper, 32, was overlooked by former coach Eddie Jones for Australia's Rugby World Cup campaign, where the Wallabies suffered the embarrassment of being knocked out in the pool stage for the first time.
"The transition is something I have thought a lot about and I'm extremely motivated by the challenge of playing sevens and trying to earn my way into this team," Hooper said.
"I've started making a few changes to my training in preparation and can't wait to get started in January."
Next year will be the third time Sevens has been played as an Olympic sport, with Fiji claiming two men's gold medals, while Australia (2016) and New Zealand (2021) won the women's event.
