UAE named 100th IRB Union

Dubai: UAE Rugby Federation Chairman Mohammad Falaknaz spoke of his delight after the UAE was formally granted full IRB status on Wednesday.

“Late yesterday our board received the most wonderful and welcomed news from the IRB council that UAE Rugby has gained full IRB membership, becoming the 100th Union to do so,” said Falaknaz.

“The thanks of the Board of UAE RF go to everyone within our community in supporting us from our inception to this significant milestone,” he added.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset added: “We are delighted to be welcoming UAE as a full member of the IRB. These are very exciting times for our sport with unprecedented growth and interest around the world. Today’s announcement certainly underlines Rugby’s ability to reach out to new communities and countries in every region.

“As home to 60 per cent of the global population and 80 per cent of the world’s young people, Asia is a strategically important region for the IRB. Working in collaboration with the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) we are currently investing over $3 million [Dh11 million] annually in development, high performance and tournament programmes across the region and we will ensure that UAE has the structures in place to flourish and grow on the world stage.”