Interview with Diana Mikhailova – athlete of the rugby team “Universitet” (Tashkent), member of the national team of Uzbekistan and rugby referee

Interview with Diana Mikhailova – athlete of the rugby team “Universitet” (Tashkent), member of the national team of Uzbekistan and rugby referee

  • Tell us about yourself.

I am Diana Denisovna Mikhailova, an athlete of the national team of Uzbekistan. I study at the National University of Uzbekistan with a specialization in “Sports activities (rugby).

  • Did you play any other sport before rugby?

Before rugby, I was involved in athletics for three years

  • How did you get into rugby?

When I was involved in athletics, I saw girls who were involved in rugby. And I became interested in what kind of sport it is and how it is played.

  • What do you like most about rugby?

In rugby, I like the word “we” the most, I was able to meet and chat with players from different countries, they are all friendly. Rugby is one.

  • What position do you play in the team?

I play post fight– this position is the player in the scrum on the open or short side.

  • Who is training you?

Our coach Ivanov Pavel Sergeevich.

  • How does rugby help you in life?

By overcoming difficulties on the field, players build resilience to stressful situations in life and outside the game.

  • How did you decide to become a judge? What attracted you to this job?

I was very interested in refereeing, so after several seminars on refereeing, I decided to referee rugby matches.

  • How long have you been refereeing?

I started doing refereeing for at least six months.

  • When you became a referee, did your perception of the game itself change in any way?

Being a rugby referee forces you to think bigger and know more about the smallest details, as well as the rules of rugby.

  • Who is a good referee in your opinion at all, what should he be??

The most important thing in officiating is to be fair on the pitch and to keep the players safe and correct.

  • How to become a rugby referee?

You need to study all the rugby rules that are on the World-Rugby website and after that you need to contact the chief referee of the Uzbekistan Rugby Federation Izmailov A.A. to apply for participation in referee seminars.

  • What are your plans for the future?

I do not like to tell plans for the future, I’d rather show actions.

Thank you very much for the interesting conversation!

Press-secretary of the rugby Federation of Uzbekistan M. Abdumalikova