BHUBANESWAR: The Rugby India and state government on Wednesday felicitated the Indian U-18 girls’ rugby team that recently won silver at the Asia Rugby U-18 Girls Rugby Sevens Championship 2021 held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
A total of five countries from across Asia - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), India and the hosts Uzbekistan participated in the event. Three girls from Odisha were part of the team.
At the felicitation ceremony held here, the state government, which is the associate sponsor of the rugby team, Rugby India and a supporting partner announced cash rewards (ranging from 4 to 5 lakhs per partner) to the team and coaches for their achievement. The total amount of the cash award will be around Rs 15 lakh for the 15-member squad.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, in a video message, congratulated the team for their skill, grit and performance. Naveen said Odisha will continue to support Rugby India along their journey.
State sports minister Tusharkanti Behera, who was present on the occasion, said the success of the U-18 girls’ rugby team is a fantastic opportunity to expose the players to next level competitions both at national and international stage and to groom them into the finest players from the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Vikram Ahuja, president, Rugby India hailed the performance of the girls. Ahuja also appreciated the efforts of the state government for supporting sports.
“Odisha is standing true to their commitment of promoting sports and nurturing sporting talent. We are truly grateful to the state government and other partners including KIIT, KISS for their commitment and kind support towards strengthening the national rugby teams to ensure performance excellence at international level,” said Ahuja.
Actor, director and a board member of Rugby India Rahul Bose said the financial bonuses from sponsors and partners to the U-18 girls’ squad will boost not just this team’s morale but have an incredibly positive effect across all our national teams. “It will encourage them to perform even more fiercely at the international level and win accolades for the country,” said Bose.
For development and promotion of rugby, the state government has signed an agreement with Rugby India to support Rs 1 crore annually for the next three years.
