Aaqil and Dilum off to Qatar for West Asia 7s

By Shamseer Jaleel

Two top-class referees from Sri Lanka, Dilum Deeshana and Aaqil Jamaldeen were appointed to officiate at the Asia Rugby West Asia Rugby Sevens 2021, which will take place in Qatar on 8 and 9 October.

Dilum Deeshna

Aaqil to Qatar

Aaqil Jamaldeen played for Royal, while Deeshana led the Vidyartha sevens outfit and played for the XV-a-side. Deeshana represented the Kandy School from 2013-2016. Both, having officiated in some important school and club rugby encounters, are considered the top referees in the country and have maintained their top level of fitness as well. They have represented Sri Lanka Referees in many overseas assignments previously.

Both these youngsters were identified at a young age by the Sri Lanka Referees Society and sent for overseas training to Singapore and England in the past. The Qatar quarantine requirement is 14 days, which could stand against these two officials plus other overseas players. At present, officials are working on this to reduce the number of days in quarantine since they are fully vaccinated themselves.