Government of Odisha today signed an agreement with Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to sponsor the Indian national rugby teams for the next three years, till 2023, and facilitate high performance training and conditioning of the players.

State Sports & Youth Services Director- cum-Additional Secretary, R Vineel Krishna and IRFU President, Maneck Unwala signed the agreement in the presence of Odisha Sports and Youth Services Minister, Tusharkanti Behera, Sports Secretary, Vishal K Dev, IRFU CEO, Naseer Hussain, and former India rugby international, Rahul Bose and Odisha Rugby Football Association (ORFA), U K Mohanty at the Kalinga Stadium.

The sponsorship will be extended towards training, conditioning and incentivizing the Indian national rugby teams (men and women) participating in international rugby events. Speaking on the occasion, Sports Minister Behera said, “This is a significant partnership for us. In recent years, we have seen a steady rise of rugby in terms of popularity and participation, particularly the participation of young players.

‘‘And this partnership between Govt of Odisha and Rugby India will not only help develop the sport of rugby further in Odisha and India, but also support and strengthen the high performance training of Indian National rugby teams. We hope this initiative will help nurture young talent, create a pathway from grassroots to elite and produce more players who can bring laurels to the country” he said.

Rugby India President, Unwala said ‘‘We thank the Government of Odisha for their continued support. On behalf of Rugby India, I am pleased to welcome them as Associate Sponsors of the Indian National rugby teams. I am confident that the shared core values and vision of Odisha and Rugby India will ensure that this partnership thrives and is beneficial for our rugby athletes.’’

Commenting on the occasion, Rahul Bose said, “This is a historic day for Indian Rugby. Thanks to this sponsorship from the Govt of Odisha, national rugby players (women and men) will, for the first time ever, be paid for their services to the Indian rugby teams. This marks a first, solid step towards making rugby a professional sport in the country. I am eternally grateful to the Government of Odisha for what they have done for not only rugby but sport as a whole in our country.’’
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PHOTO: Odisha Sports Director R Vineel Krishna and IRFU President Maneck Unwala  sign the sponsorship agreement in Bhubaneswar on 13 October, 2020.