Olympic-rugby.org brings you the next part in our series of expert opinions on our favourite topic. Today we caught up with Bernardo Rosmaninho from Portugal, who's national side Os Lobos have been the surprise package in recent years.

After his playing career Bernardo identified a need for information about all Portuguese competitions and clubs, promoting and contributing to the effort of making their rugby known to the Portuguese public and rugby fans everywhere. The answer: rugbyportugal.com

Thanks to this project Bernardo - got to know what he refers to as "this crucial petition that wants to help accomplish such a huge step in the development of rugby as a world game: to get rugby back into the Olympic Games!" and signed olympic-rugby.org as number 5072

Portugal of course is one of the rising stars in Sevens and they proved that yet again making the finals of the World Games last weekend.

Olympic-Rugby.org (OR): Hi Bernardo, thanks for taking the time. Let's get started: How good do you think the chances are rugby will convince the Olympic decision makers?

Bernardo Rosmaninho (BR): It's an absolute pleasure, thanks. Well traditionally, IOC members are more prone to vote for individual sports, so Rugby Sevens does not have an easy task going to the XIII Olympic Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark in October. However, there is a general feeling that, this time around, Rugby Sevens can really make it.

With the martial arts sports and squash a bit out of contention, due to the already large number of similar sports in the Olympic calendar, Golf and Rugby are being considered the top candidates for the two vacant slots. Also, there’s the small matter of convincing at least 57 of the 115 committee members to vote for our sport.

So far, credit must be given to the IRB for their work promoting Rugby Sevens - they showcased an excellent event with the Dubai Sevens RWC this year - and to movements such as this one that are making the fans and general public aware and supportive.

People are finally starting to see this sport as a true contender for the Olympic Games, something that for us, who know what rugby is all about and what it represents, seems to be a very obvious and positive thing. Let us hope the IOC committee members share our view.

OR: That's why we should all help convince them. In your view, what is the future of rugby, should it get included in the 2016 Olympics?

BR: If we truly want to have a global sport, we have to be on the world’s greatest stage: the Olympic Games.

If rugby becomes an Olympic Sport again I believe we can see a development of the sport in countries that currently are in the lower tier of the rugby hierarchy but have the resources and conditions to become rugby emerging nations.

Sevens has proven itself time and time again as a good ground for emerging players, with Jonah Lomu probably being the best example of that. Why shouldn't that apply to emerging teams?

On a broader view, we know that rugby’s ruling powers must allow the middle nations to become stronger. To contend with the powerhouses of our sport, such as the 6 Nations and the Tri Nations teams, we need to organize events and develop clubs and national teams.

A successful Olympic bid is a huge step in the right direction, but it is a long road that still needs to be traveled if come 2020, we want to see for example: A RWC with more than the usual four or five candidates, the 6N with relegation and promotion from the European Nations Cup, a Southern Hemisphere competition that includes Argentina and at least one pacific island nation, and new African and Asian nations competing at the higher level.

OR: How do you think rugby in Portugal will change should the Olympic bid be successful?

BR: We are very proud about what we’ve achieved as a community in Portugal, finally seeing rugby played in every corner of our country, a feat mainly owed to our national team’s efforts and accomplishments.

To a Portuguese player or fan, before and after the last Rugby World Cup, playing rugby was all about the pride, camaraderie and collective effort required in every game. It still is, but we are now at a crossroads in terms of development and ability to compete with the top 10 to 20 ranked nations in XV and the top 10 nations in Sevens.

We need the infra-structures and the resources to support the growth in the number of players and to provide a solid foundation for the new generations of Lobos - the Wolves. In order to effect all these changes, we need two things that I believe only the Olympic Games can give us: visibility and the real chance of success.

Portugal needs a rugby competition where we can field a good, strong squad without always using the same players in both XV and Sevens.

For that to happen, we need to expand beyond the current three or four strong clubs that provide the majority of the Lobos to our national squads, we need to get regular contact with stronger European sides and sort out our own internal competitions, but most important, we must be able to replace the generations of talented players that come and go in the national squad.

These are some of the things I believe a successful Olympic bid could help bring to the Portuguese rugby.

OR: No wonder Portugal is so active in this petition! Finally, with Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Madrid and Chicago bidding to host the 2016 Olympic Games, which of the above named cities would you most like to travel to watch Olympic rugby and why?

BR: This is a very difficult choice, with the four cities being all great venues to stage an event such as the Olympic Games.

From the rugby point of view, I believe it is too soon for Rio de Janeiro to have a competition that causes a real impact in the development of the game in Brazil. I’d rather see them hosting a rotational “9th stage” of the IRB Sevens Circuit.

As for Tokyo, as expecting the 2019 RWC has been awarded to Japan, so I don’t think that Olympic rugby would add a lot to the nation that has already hosted the Junior RWC this year.

That leaves us with Madrid, always a good choice, but a place where I seriously doubt that Olympic rugby will be played anytime soon because London will stage the 2012 Olympic Games; and Chicago, arguably the city where rugby would benefit the most from receiving the Olympic Games.

Not only is this a great place to travel but I’m also taking into account the fact that the Americans have made a great effort in terms of developing their rugby, are an excellent market for our sport and currently took their IRB Sevens stage at San Diego, leaving the east American coast without any major rugby event.

We can't argue with logic. Thanks for taking the time and let's hope the Lobos from Portugal will soon set the Olympic Sevens on fire