Magali Harvey left off Canada's Olympic rugby team: report

Magali Harvey has been left off the list of players who will be named to the Canadian women's rugby sevens team for the Rio Olympics, according to a report in the Journal de Quebec.

According to Le Journal, Harvey's name does not appear on the roster that will be officially named Friday in Victoria by Rugby Canada.

Her father, Luc, told Le Journal in French that the Canadian team was missing out on a chance to promote the sport with its "bogus decision."

"Try to convince me that Magali Harvey would be the 13th player in any country in the world," he said in French.

Bryan Kelly, manager of media relations for Rugby Canada, told CBC Sports that he would not comment on the report one day before the team announcement. 

The 25-year-old Quebec star led the Canadian women to their first-ever World Cup final in 2014. While the team lost 21-9 to England, Harvey was named the IRB women's player of the year after the game, becoming the first Canadian to receive the award. 

Rugby World Cup is a 15-a-side tournament, while the Olympics involves the sevens team.

Harvey also helped Canada win gold in women's rugby sevens at last year's Pan Am Games in Toronto. 

Rugby sevens will be making its Olympic debut in Rio. Canada is currently ranked third in the world.

Canadian team marred by injuries

After a season marked by injury, Canadian women's rugby sevens coach John Tait has seen his trainers' room empty just in time for the Rio Olympics.

That has creates both depth and competition for places. It could also lead to controversy in some quarters when his Olympic roster is announced Friday.

For long chunks of the season, a group of players who dubbed themselves the walking wounded spent their days in the gym or at rehab.

Elissa Alarie, Natasha Watcham-Roy and Harvey returned in mid-May from injury layoffs.

Veteran Ashley Steacy was the last to return, from a knee injury. A key player on Tait's roster, Steacy anchors the Canadian defence at sweeper, is a fine kicker and has served as captain in Jen Kish's injury absences.

Alarie had been sidelined by a knee injury suffered in London last year during the penultimate stop on the 2014-15 HSBC Women's Sevens Series. Watcham-Roy was hurt helping Canada win gold at the Pan-Am Games last July. Harvey missed three of five stops on this year's circuit with a shoulder injury after playing the opening event in Dubai in December.

With Tait having had to bring in players to replace the injured, he has more players than places on his Olympic roster. Plus some of the youngsters like Hannah Darling and Charity Williams whom he had pencilled in for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have stepped up faster than expected.

Put it all together and it means disappointment for some. Especially when the team list comes with the likes of such stalwarts as Kish, Steacy, Britt Benn, Bianca Farella, Ghislaine Landry, Karen Paquin and Kelly Russell among those pencilled in months ago.

Harvey missed much of this season and Tait, who included her in his squad in France for the last stop of the World Series this season, may feel he has other more versatile speed options.

The Canadian women will train in Victoria before heading to a camp north of Toronto at the end of July. The team flies to Rio on July 28 with Olympic play starting Aug. 6.

Canada, a medal favourite after placing third and second the last two seasons on the world circuit, opens pool play in a group with Britain, host Brazil and Japan.

With files by The Canadian Press