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Pakistan Rugby Union

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Pakistan Rugby Union
پاکستان رگبی یونین
SportRugby union
JurisdictionNational
Membership12
AbbreviationPRU
Founded2000 (2000)
AffiliationWorld Rugby
Affiliation date2003 (associate)
2008 (full)
Regional affiliationAsian Rugby Football Union
Affiliation date2000
HeadquartersServis House, 2 Main Gulberg, Lahore 54662, Pakistan
PresidentArif Saeed
ChairmanFawzi Khawaja
Vice president(s)Rizwan-ur-Rab Malik
Yahya Bhatti
Shahzad Sultan
SecretarySalman Muzaffar Shaikh
Official website
pakistanrugby.com
Pakistan

The Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) is the rugby union governing body in Pakistan. It is in charge of the Pakistan national team. Also among the Union's chief activities are conferences, organising international matches, and educating and training players and officials.

It was formally established in 2000 and gained membership of the Asian Rugby Football Union in 2000. In 2003, it became a member of International Rugby Board. Currently, it is a full member of World Rugby, Asia Rugby, Pakistan Olympic Association, and is recognized by the Pakistan Sports Board as the governing body of the sport in the country .[1]

Fawzi Khawaja, Arif Saeed, and Salman Muzaffar Shaikh are, respectively, the current chairman, president, and secretary-general of the Union,[2] having been elected on 24 March 2021.[3]

History

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The origins of rugby union in Pakistan can be traced back to the Karachi Football Rugby Union (KFRU), which was founded in 1925. It was active on the All-India circuit up till the late 1950s. A few local players joined the club in 1968–1969. However, the sport saw a decline by the mid-1970s, as the Royal Navy reduced its presence in the Indian Ocean which caused a decline in its visits to the Pakistani ports. By the early-1980s, the sport had almost died out. KFRU continued playing, but found itself unable to travel abroad for matches dues to lack of funding. There was also a dearth of local teams who were available to play against.

Things took a turn in the 1990s, when local players, who were introduced to the sport in the 1970s, founded clubs in Lahore and Karachi. Moreover, staff from foreign embassies, high commissions, and banks established the Islamabad Rugby Football Club in 1992. Regular matches between these clubs followed soon afterwards.

This led to the formation of the Pakistan Rugby Union in 2000[4] to further promote the game on a national level. In 2003, Pakistan fielded a national team for the first time,[5] participating in the Provincial Tournament in Sri Lanka. It played the India national team there as well. The Pakistan Rugby Union then became an associate member of the International Rugby Board (later renamed to World Rugby) in November 2003. It received its full membership in 2008.

Activities

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Rugby has now been introduced at the provincial and district level by the Pakistan Rugby Union. Schools have also been targeted for rugby to be introduced at the grassroots level. PRU is also an active part of the World Rugby’s “Get into Rugby” programme,[6][7] which aims to increase the participation in the sport. PRU has competed in a number of events organised by Asia Rugby, and has arranged several domestic competitions at both senior and age grade level for men and women. Regularly training and development courses are also arranged to meet the growing demand for training professionals.[1]

Rugby is also one of the events in the National Games of Pakistan[8][9][10] - a move that has reportedly resulted in the employment of over 200 players by universities and departments.

Affiliations

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Affiliated associations

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The four provinces

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The two territories

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National departments

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Pakistan Rugby Union". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  2. ^ "Lahore Hawks rout Desert Camels as 15-side rugby resumes". The Nation. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  3. ^ "Arif Saeed re-elected president of PRU". The Nation. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  4. ^ "Pakistani Women Take Key First Step in Rugby Sevens Debut". VOA. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  5. ^ "Rugby and Islam". The Roar. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  6. ^ "Historic day for Get Into Rugby in Pakistan". boxscorenews.com. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  7. ^ "Pakistan Rugby Union's 'Get into Rugby' programme in full swing". The Frontier Post. 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  8. ^ "Rugby changing lives in South Punjab". Asia Rugby. 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  9. ^ "Abbottabad to hold five events of National Games". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  10. ^ "33rd National Games 2019 | Sports - MAG THE WEEKLY". magtheweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  11. ^ world.rugby. "World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  12. ^ "Membership World Rugby and Asia Rugby Membership status". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  13. ^ "Welcome to Pakistan Olympic Association". nocpakistan.org. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  14. ^ "Pakistan Sports Board, Islamabad". www.sports.gov.pk. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
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