Rugby India has announced that the Indian Junior Girls Rugby squad will participate in the 2021 Asia Rugby U18 Girls Rugby Sevens Championship on Tuesday. The Rugby Championships will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on September 18 and 19.
At least five countries from across Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), India and Uzbekistan will compete for top honors at the championship.
The Indian rugby squad, comprising 14 players and 5 officials including the coaches, physio and manager, departed for Tashkent on Tuesday.
Indian Rugby team and their coaches:
A total of 52 girls from across India were shortlisted based on their performance and fitness skills at the last sub-junior national championships and national school games rugby championships.
All the athletes have been part of the national training and selection camp which was conducted at the KIIT University campus in Bhubaneswar from August 14 to September 13.
The girls underwent rigid training sessions. They worked under renowned coaches from South Africa, Hendrik 'Naas' Botha, Ludwiche Van Deventer and the Indian Women's Rugby Team captain Ms Vahbiz Bharucha.
Rugby India president Vikram Ahuja thanked the sponsers for their support:
President of Rugby India, Vikram Ahuja, said:
"We are thankful to Societe Generale, the Government of Odisha, KIIT and all our partners for their commitment and kind support towards Rugby India's High-Performance initiatives in preparation for the Asia Rugby Championship."
"The overall effort, as envisioned by Rugby India, aims to dedicate funds from all its sponsors to maximize player excellence, from the highest standards of coaching to world-class strength and rehabilitation protocols, from nutrition and hydration to mental health."
"Every player will always remain at the heart of Indian Rugby. This support will truly boost our team's morale and encourage them to perform fiercely at the Asian level and bring home accolades. We are confident that the U18 Girls team will deliver their best and make the country proud," he further added.
Indian Rugby team sponsors:
The Indian National U18 Girls Rugby team is supported by Societe Generale (financial partners & official bank), the government of Odisha and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology- KIIT (high-performance partners), BLK (match kit partner), Fast and Up (nutrition partner), Blade India and Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance (ABTP) as the associate partners.
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