The first Oceania Rugby Under 18s Sevens Championship has been announced and will take place in Sydney next month.

Oceania Rugby in association with Rugby Australia will run the tournament from April 21 to April 22 at St Ignatius College.

The tournament will be the region's first official age grade sevens competition and has been designed to provide a meaningful sevens pathway for the region, mirroring that of the 15-a-side programme.

The Championship will also double as the regional qualification tournament for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in October later this year.

Teams from Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga will contest one qualification spot for Oceania in each of the Boys and Girls sections.

Oceania Rugby President Richard Sapias said he believed the tournament would become an essential element in preparing the region's talent for the future.

The Solomon Islands Under 18 squad has been selected and are currently training under the watchful eye of Fijian coach Aliverete Mocelutu.