Patna: Rugby championships begin today

PATNA: The Sports Development Authority of Bihar (SDAB), under the state art and culture department, will host the 9th Senior National Rugby Championship, the 7th Junior National Rugby Championship and the 4th Wheelchair Rugby Nationals at the Patliputra Sports Complex from June 9.
The championships will conclude on June 26.
The programme will be organized in association with the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Bihar Rugby Association.
Teams from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Daman & Diu, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh will participate in the championships.
Addressing the media persons here at Patliputra Sports Complex on Wednesday, IPS officer and DG of SDAB, Raveendran Sankaran, said, “Bihar is gearing up to revive it’s past glory in the field of sports and this event is a precursor to all forthcoming events. We have tried our best to provide all logistic support for this event.
“These tournaments will serve as the platform for the selection for Indian national men/women/U-18 and U-20 rugby teams which will participate in the Asian Rugby championships later next year,” he said.
The 9th Senior National Rugby Championship will be held between June 9 and 12 while the 7th Junior National Rugby Championship will be organized from June 16 to 19 and the 4th Wheelchair Rugby Nationals from June 24 to 26. All the events will be played in men and women’s categories.