Antoine Dupont set to skip Six Nations to focus on Paris 2024

France captain Antoine Dupont will sit out this season's Six Nations to prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) told AFP on Wednesday.

Dupont, 27, will miss the competition in order to participate in legs of the World Rugby seven-a-side circuit, now known as SVNS.

His club Toulouse, the FFR and Dupont are set to hold a press conference on Monday, 250 days from the start of the Games, when they are expected to announce Dupont's intentions.

Dupont will join France's sevens squad in January before SVNS events in Vancouver in February and Los Angeles in March.

Scrum-half Dupont's most recent appearance for France was last month's agonising World Cup quarter-final defeat to eventual winners South Africa at the Stade de France.

The stadium will also host next July's sevens competitions at the Games.

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As far back as last December, Dupont opened the door to playing in the event, which first featured in the Olympics in 2016.

"It's highly motivating," Dupont told RTL.

"It's incredible when you see the enthusiasm it can create. There is a desire from my side to put things in place for me to participate.

"It will be a discussion between the different coaching staffs," he added.

A host of other leading 15-a-side players have featured at past Olympic Games, including South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe and former New Zealand centre Sonny Bill Williams, who have both won the World Cup twice.

Fiji have won the two men's gold medals since sevens was introduced into the