Odisha Channel Bureau
Bhubaneswar: The Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) aka Rugby India, the governing body for the sport of Rugby in India in association with The Government of Odisha, Societe Generale, KIIT University and Odisha Rugby Football Association, are hosting the 6th Junior National Rugby Sevens Championship at the KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha from December 10 to December 12.
A total of 24 States and affiliated Units to IRFU will be participating and will fight the battle to claim victory in this championship. The participating state teams include Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana and hosts Odisha.
Nasser Hussain, Chief Executive Officer, Rugby India said – “This is an extremely exciting time for Rugby India given the increasing popularity that the sport is witnessing across the nation. The overwhelming participation that we have received for this tournament is true testament to that. With 24 state teams in the boy’s category and 21 State teams in the girl’s category, this grand event promises to showcase some brilliant rugby over the weekend. It has been 2 years since we have hosted a National Tournament of this scale due to the pandemic. The staggering participation numbers goes to show the eagerness of teams and players to get back on the field and return to play. I would like to wish all the participating teams the very best for the championship.”
The tournaments will serve as the platform for selection for the Indian National U-18 and U-20 teams which are set to participate in the Asian Rugby championships later next year.
A mega week of rugby is in store as Rugby India is set to host the Senior National Rugby Sevens Championships on the following weekend (17th to 19th December, 2021) at the very same venue – KIIT University.
Rugby India thanked their partners and sponsors for supporting these events, according to an official release.
