World Rugby OKs ex-49ers RB Hayne’s switch

5:24 PM ET

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Former San Francisco 49ers running back Jarryd Hayne was eligible to play for the Fiji sevens rugby team at the Olympics and as early as the world series event in London this weekend, World Rugby said on Monday.

Hayne, who played eight times with one start for the 49ers as a rookie last year, announced on Sunday he was quitting the NFL.

The 28-year-old former rugby league star said he was joining Fiji in the hope of making its squad for the Rio de Janeiro Games. Hayne qualifies for Fiji through his Fijian father, and has played international rugby league for the Pacific nation.

But questions have been raised over his eligibility because he has not recently been part of a registered drug-testing program.

Editor’s PicksHayne retires from NFL to vie for Olympic spot

Jarryd Hayne’s NFL experiment is over, as the former Australian Rugby League star retired Sunday from the 49ers in order to vie for a spot on the Fiji Rugby Sevens team for the Rio Olympics.

A former head of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency, Richard Ings, expressed doubts on Monday that Hayne would be able to make an immediate transition to rugby because the NFL was not …

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