India women’s national rugby sevens team secures place in Asian Games

Indian Women's Rugby Sevens team has qualified and will be a part of the 19th Asian Games 2023 to be held in Hangzhou

Mumbai: The Indian Women’s Rugby Sevens team has qualified and will be a part of the 19th Asian Games 2023 to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.

Ranked seventh in Asia, the Indian team will feature in the upcoming edition of the Asian Games which are held every four years. A milestone achievement for Indian Rugby, the Indian women’s team is looking to showcase their ability on the biggest sporting stage in Asia.

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This is a great day in the history of Indian Rugby. We are privileged to have the opportunity for our women to compete at the Asian Games. Seeded 7th, we hope that our women will punch above their weight. Preparations are in full swing here at SAI, Kolkata, where the team will train for a period of around two months, before they leave for Hangzhou, China on 20 September 2023.

During this period, the team shall also visit Borneo as a part of an international exposure tour. It would be great if the country can get behind us in our endeavour to make Indian Rugby a force to reckon in Asia., said Rahul Bose, President of the Indian Rugby Football Union.

The final travelling team that will go to the Asian Games will be announced at the camp that started on the 29th of July 2023 and will go on till September 20 at the SAI Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre, Kolkata, West Bengal.

Forty players have been shortlisted in the camp that will be closely monitored by Ludwiche Van Deventer, Head Coach, India Rugby and the Assistant Coaches, Kiano Fourie and Terrence Joseph, for the entire duration of the camp. Players shortlisted for this camp have been closely tracked over the past year or so in their performances in both national and international events.

The Indian Women’s Rugby Sevens team has been consistently performing at the Asian stage for the past few years with triumphs recently at the Asia Rugby 7s Trophy, the Asia Rugby U20 Championship, and the Asia Rugby U18 Championship, where the team won 3 silver medals on the trot, a release said.

The camp has been specifically designed keeping the Asian Games in mind facilitating a holistic approach towards preparations. The support staffs include a prolific team that consists of Sourojit Ghost – General Manager of High Performance, Ananya Somani Team Nutritionist, Shreya Iyer – Team Psychologist, and Lizanne Paes Medic, who are all aligned to collectively give the Indian national team the best possible chance to compete at the highest level during the Games.

Notable names that are a part of the camp include Kalyani Patil, Lachmi Oraon, Sheetal Sharma, Shweta Shahi, Jyothi Yellamma, Mama Naik, and Chelsea Goswami, who may form a part of the travelling squad of 14 athletes to travel to Hangzhou for the Asian Games.