New sevens event designed to improve regional standards

Martyn Thomas 06:58 17/06/2014
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  • Big plans: UAERF's Qais Al Dhalai.

    The UAE will play host to an eight-team international tournament on December 12 and 13, featuring developing nations from Africa and Asia.

    A Shaheen development squad will represent the host country but their opponents and the venue for the tournament have yet to be finalised.

    The aim of the competition is to help raise standards in the region, and Al Dhalai is extremely proud for the Emirates to be taking the lead.

    “UAERF has come a long way to achieve successes in all elements of the sport,” he said. “As the national governing body in the UAE we run the sport in a different, devised way from how the majority of unions do.

    “We innovate, we commit ourselves to be passionate about the sport of rugby and in a very short period of time we have become a role model union in Asia.”

    The Afro-Asia Rugby 7s forms part of a busy 2014-15 fixture list, that will also see the UAE sevens side take part in the Asian Sevens Series, the Asian Games in Korea, and an preliminary qualification tournament for the 2016 Olympics.

    As well as taking over the running of all cross-border 15-a-side competitions in the Gulf, there has also been talks over a new continental tournament, that could begin this September.

    “We prefer to work hard behind the scenes to ensure that there will be only minor recognisable concerns from all stakeholders and we are delighted to have a packed 2014-2015 rugby calendar,“ Al Dhalai added.

    Ultimately, the UAERF will hope the new tournament can help build a bigger base of Emirati sevens talent, with qualification for a future Olympics very much a target.

    “This is a ground breaking achievement by the UAERF,” vice president Salman Hadi added. “We are working with excitement to make a the tournament a showpiece of the UAERF capabilities in organising such iconic events.”

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