AGENCY
Mumbai: Asian Schools Sports Federation (ASSF) is hosting the 2nd Asian School Rugby Sevens at Hong Kong from July 22 to 26, and for the very first time an Indian under 18 boys team is to take part in the event under the aegis of School Games Federation of India (SGFI).
A total of ten Asian countries including Hong Kong, Singapore, Guam, India, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Mongolia and Sri Lanka will participate and fight the battle to claim victory in this championship, a media release said today.
Seven players from Maharashtra have been picked in the Indian colts squad which is set to leave for Hong Kong tomorrow, the release added.
Rugby Association of Maharashtra’s joint secretary, Sandeep Mosamkar, said it was encouraging to see that the sport was growing well in the state.
“Rugby has been re-included in the Olympics after 92 years, and is now a part of Rio Olympics 2016. Currently 32 districts are actively playing competitive rugby in Maharashtra. All this progress could not have been possible without the humble support of Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Maharashtra and Maharashtra Olympic Association,” he said.
The Maharashtra boys in the national squad for Hong Kong are: Pruthviraj Patil, Kolhapur; Shridhar Nigade, Kolhapur; Shehbaz Kapoor, Mumbai Suburban; Ishwar Rathod, Mumbai; Umesh Rathod, Mumbai; Amay Poddar, Mumbai and Pankaj Singh, Thane. (PTI)
