Four Girls From Odisha In National Squad For Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy

Bhubaneswar: Four girls from Odisha are part of the 12-member Women’s Rugby Squad for the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 10 and 11.

The four players are Sumitra Nayak, Hupi Majhi, Subhalaxmi Barik and Meerarani Hembrom.

The Rugby India also announced the 12-member Men’s squad for the tournament, which will serve as a platform for qualification for Asia Rugby Sevens Series.

Both squads had attended a 15-day Indian National Training camp at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) here.

The Indian teams led by skippers Vikas Khatri (Men’s) and Vahbiz Barucha (Women’s) will depart for the tournament on August 7.

“We have created an ecosystem where we support athletes across several sports disciplines, including Ruby, to achieve their full potential and it gives us immense pleasure today to see these young kids represent our country at the Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy, “ said Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera.

Extending his best wishes for the upcoming championship, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Sports and Youth Services, Vishal K Dev, said, “I congratulate both the men’s and women’s team on their selection.  The popularity and visibility of Rugby is growing due to the consistent and strong performance of the players and we are happy to be supporting them.”