Asia Rugby Supports Nepal, Iran and Lao’s Membership Applications to World Rugby
Asia Rugby in close coordination with all the relevant parties have submitted to World Rugby the Membership Applications of Iran Rugby Association, Lao Rugby Federation and Nepal Rugby Association.
Asia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai, in a letter to World Rugby, has fully placed his support behind the Membership Applications.
The Membership Applications will be carefully reviewed by the relevant parties involved in the review process.
President Qais Al Dhalai praised and thanked the three Unions on their hard work throughout the years and for their steady growth leading to their Membership Applications.
Iran Rugby Association and Lao Rugby Federation are currently Associate members of World Rugby and are applying for Full membership; Iran became a member World Rugby in 2011 and has made huge strides in promoting the game of Rugby in Iran. One of the major achievements of Iran Rugby Association has been the development and promotion of the women’s game throughout the country. In 2018 Iran won the Asia Rugby Women’s Rugby Development Award and has built up a robust domestic 15’s and 7’s tournament structure for Women.
Lao Rugby Federation joined World Rugby in 2004 and has been actively involved in not only promoting the game but has been able to use rugby as a tool to enrich the lives in the local community; Lao was one of the earliest unions to implement a safeguarding policy, one unique fact about rugby in Lao is that the local population think that Rugby is a women’s game.
Nepal Rugby Association is applying to Join World Rugby as an Associate Member, Nepal Joined the Asia Rugby family in 2014. Since then the Union has successfully implemented the Get Into Rugby Program all across Nepal and is actively hosting domestic tournaments and taken part in regional tournaments. In 2018, Nepal successfully hosted one of the destinations of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour, during Nepal visit the Web Ellis Cup visited Kala Patthar, 5,500m up in the Himalayas, which is higher than Everest Base Camp – the highest point the trophy has ever reached in its history.
