Rugby Sevens Exhibition Event held during the 11th Lao National Games
Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR — The Lao Rugby Federation (LRF) successfully hosted a Rugby Sevens Exhibition event in the 11th Lao National Games, at Saysana Stadium on 8 December. The event marked the first time rugby has been included in the Lao National Games.
The event featured U18 men’s and women’s teams from Xieng Khouang Province, Vientiane Province, and Vientiane Capital. In total, 100 players from the LRF’s Champa Ban youth rugby program participated and teams were coached by current and former Pass It Back Coaches, who have gone on to be accredited as World Rugby Level 1 Coaches. An additional eight young people led match officiating for the competition, all of whom started their rugby careers in the LRF’s Champa Ban powered by Pass It Back program and went onto obtain their Level 2 World Rugby Match Officiating accreditation. The officiating team was supported by World Rugby qualified First Aid staff, who have also come through the LRF’s Champa Ban powered by Pass It Back program.
The Lao National Games are the pinnacle event for sport in the Lao PDR. Following 20 years of work to grow the game across Laos, the LRF is proud to be invited by the Lao Minister of Education and Sport to lead the technical implementation of Rugby Sevens as an exhibition sport in the National Games, with the aim of full inclusion of the sport in future Lao National Games.
“The pathways the LRF has in place allow young people to begin their rugby journey with no previous experience of rugby. Since 2012, the LRF has been working with hard to engage young people new to the sport and we can now see success appearing - from DAC Lao National Team victories in international competitions, to reaching World Rugby Full Membership status in 2020,” said Viengsamai Souksavanh, LRF CEO.
“And this year, with the LRF hosting Rugby Sevens as an exhibition sport in the Lao National Games, playing for the Minister’s Cup, it shows increasing recognition from our national leadership around the strength of our youth-led, grassroots approach to build a strong, sustainable Lao Rugby community” Viengsamai added.
In the competition, Kham District was victorious in the Women’s Division, narrowly beating Vientiane Capital, while Paek District took third place over Vientiane Province in a pair of final matches both being decided in nail-biting extra time. In the Men’s Division, Vientiane Capital took the Cup, beating Vientiane Province, with Paek District claiming Bronze and Kham District taking fourth place.
In addition to the excitement on the pitch, the event was presided over and attended by the Vice Minister of Education and Sport, Madame Khanthaly Siliphongphan, and the Director General of Elite Sports of the Ministry of Education and Sport, Mr. Sengphone Phonarmath.
“It was exciting to see such a close set of matches and competitiveness from across three provinces at the U18 level. This competition marks a new chapter for Lao Rugby building on the outstanding support from partners and sponsors who share our long term vision” said Mr. Virayouth Rathikoun, LRF President.
“When I took on the presidency, there were only two to three hundred players in Laos in the Capital. Now there is a thriving rugby community. The strength of this is shown by a women’s team from a rural area of Laos winning the title. At the event this week, I was accompanied by several former Lao National Team players who played alongside me in the 1960s and 70s and we were all so proud to see the progress and look forward to continuing to see the sport grow and develop in more provinces in the future,” Rathikoun added.
The LRF would like to thank its platinum supporters, DAC Management, Australian Aid and DHL Express, whose long-term and dedicated support over the past ten years has made not only this event possible, but the LRF’s overall growth and development. Thanks also to ChildFund Rugby whose technical support and partnership throughout the last decade has been instrumental in this progress.
A number of other sponsors and community supporters also played an important role in the inclusion of Rugby Sevens as an Exhibition sport in the Lao National Games, as well as LRF’s wider growth and development including the New Zealand Embassy, the Pot Bellied Pigs, Kowloon Rugby Club, Tanner De Witt, Vientiane College, DFDL, the UK Embassy, Interception Management, YuGoal and Asia Rugby. Their continued support has made this event possible and allowed children and youth to pursue their passion, learn life skills, and foster leadership through the sport of rugby.
For more information about this press release, please contact:
Anoulek Douangdala
Phone: +856 21 315 795
Email: info@laorugby.com
Website: www.laorugby.com