Rugby players get COVID vaccine

Sri Lanka referees after taking their vaccines

By Shamseer Jaleel

Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), supported by Sports Minister, Namal Rajapakse and Health Ministry completed the first round of vaccinations for the club rugby players plus the officials recently in Colombo.

The Asia Sevens 2021’s two legs are to be staged in Dubai during the latter part of November 2021, allowing the National Rugby Selectors to pick a squad of players for these two events. With the vaccinations’ first stage completed, the second stage, too, will take place in one month’s time, giving SLR time to stage the Club Sevens rugby tournament, which will be used as a yardstick for the national selections. 

More than 150 players and 50 officials got their vaccinations. SLR last conducted the Inter Club XV-a-Side event in 2020 February, and the Clifford Cup knock-out event for that particular year was cancelled due to COVID.

SLR Secretary and the former Antonian 1989 rugby player Jude Pillai, speaking to Daily FT, said: “We would like to thank the Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa and Dr. Ghouse and his Epidemiology Unit, and the Institute of Sports Medicine at the Ministry of Sports. This will allow us to stage a sevens event and later, the Asian Sevens’ two matches in Dubai, plus the Asian Games 2022.”