Friday Sep 20, 2024
Friday Sep 20, 2024
Monday, 11 September 2023 00:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka men’s sevens rugby outfit at last gets the opportunity to lock horns with the leading sevens outfits in Asia at the 19th Asian Games which will take place in China from 24 to 27 September in Hangzhou Normal University Cangqian Athletics Field. There will be 13 Men’s plus 7 Women’s outfit locking horns in this Asian Games 2023 in the shorter version of rugby.
Asia Rugby has officially announced the addition of the Olympic Committee Asia team to the roster of the Asian Games Men’s Rugby 7s event. Rugby made its sevens debut in 1998 Asian Games which took place in Thailand.
After couple of meetings which took place between Asia Rugby (AR), National Olympic Committee (NOC), and the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs in Sri Lanka to ensure that these athletes wouldn’t miss out on an event that occurs only once every four years.
Asia Rugby Sevens scheduled a re-draw which took place on 8 September after earlier draw omitting Sri Lankan Men’s outfit in late August.
Asia Rugby Interim CEO and Tournament Director Benjamin Van Rooyen confirmed the Olympic Council of Asia, Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka that Sri Lanka will feature under OCA flag alongside South Korea and Taipei in Group B.
Sri Lanka Sevens rugby outfit has been on virtual High-Performance training from last July under the guidance of Phill Greening from England assisted by the National Sevens Head Coach, Dushantha Lewke and training started from early August.
Further, the Sri Lanka Rugby have already flown a Sri Lankan born player Adam Gauder who is domiciled in Australia and currently playing for a top rugby club in Queensland, to represent the Sri Lanka Sevens outfit at the Asian games in Hangzhou China. The national outfit will be led by Tharinda Ratwatte while two players namely Srinarth Sooriyabandara and Chatura Seneviratne both pulled out from the tour due to their personal commitments. They will be replaced by Kavindu de Costa and Raveen de Silva for the tour.
(SJ)
