{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://www.asiarugby.com/tag/iran/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.", "next_url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/tag/iran/feed/json/?paged=2", "home_page_url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/tag/iran/", "feed_url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/tag/iran/feed/json/", "language": "en-US", "title": "Iran Archives - Asia Rugby", "description": "Regional Association of the Governing Body for the Global Game", "items": [ { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9282", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/02/11/qatar-rugby-crowned-champions/", "title": "Qatar Crowned Champions of Asia Rugby Division 3 West", "content_html": "

The Qatar Rugby team emerged as champions of Asia Rugby Division 3 West after defeating Iran 40-12 in a thrilling match held at the Al Ain Amblers Rugby Club in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

\n

\u00a0

\n
\"Qatar
Wade Lotter scored a hat-trick
\n

The Qatar team dominated the game with relentless pressure and a solid performance, with hooker Wade Lotter scoring a hat-trick and playing a crucial role in the victory.

\n


\nAs champions of the regional division, Qatar will now join India and Kazakhstan in the Division 3 Championship playoffs soon. The winner and runner-up of the playoffs will gain promotion to Division 2 and keep their dreams alive of a pathway to the Asia Rugby Championship and further progress to qualification for the Rugby World Cup 2027.

\n
\n

Solidarity and Respect! The least we can offer, one minute silence at Qatar \"\ud83c\uddf6\ud83c\udde6\" vs Iran \"\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf7\" match at @asiarugby Championship Division 3 West played in Al Ain – UAE \"\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddea\"

\n

Our prayers and hearts with all victims\u2019 families #Syria #Turkey pic.twitter.com/YUeF9xswHS

\n

— Qais A. Al Dhalai (@QaisUAE) February 10, 2023

\n

\n

During the closing ceremony, a minute of silence was observed to show solidarity with the Syria High Rugby Committee, Turkish Rugby Federation, and everyone affected by the recent devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.

\n


\nAsia Rugby Independent Executive Committee member Trevor Gregory presented the championship trophy to the champions.\u00a0

\n

Man of the match, Wade Lotter from Qatar, spoke to Asia Rugby about the tournament, saying, “There was a long wait for this

\n
\"\"
Ali Yaghooti
\n

tournament to happen and a huge build-up, and everyone was fired up for the game. It was a good game, and I was just fortunate to score the tries, but the credit must go to the team.”

\n

\u00a0Iran also demonstrated impressive character, finishing the game with two outstanding tries by superstar Ali Yaghooti

\n

Related Articles
\nAsia Rugby Appoints Match Officials for Division 3 West\u00a0
\nAsia Rugby season kicks off with Qatar vs Iran Clash \u200e

\n

Asia Rugby Calendar 2023
\nhttps://www.asiarugby.com/calendar-2023/

\n

Watch the full game
\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWw24pO_3s8

\n

The post Qatar Crowned Champions of Asia Rugby Division 3 West appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The Qatar Rugby team emerged as champions of Asia Rugby Division 3 West after defeating Iran 40-12 in a thrilling match held at the Al Ain Amblers Rugby Club in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.\n\u00a0\nWade Lotter scored a hat-trick\nThe Qatar team dominated the game with relentless pressure and a solid performance, with hooker Wade Lotter scoring a hat-trick and playing a crucial role in the victory.\n\nAs champions of the regional division, Qatar will now join India and Kazakhstan in the Division 3 Championship playoffs soon. The winner and runner-up of the playoffs will gain promotion to Division 2 and keep their dreams alive of a pathway to the Asia Rugby Championship and further progress to qualification for the Rugby World Cup 2027.\n\nSolidarity and Respect! The least we can offer, one minute silence at Qatar vs Iran match at @asiarugby Championship Division 3 West played in Al Ain – UAE \nOur prayers and hearts with all victims\u2019 families #Syria #Turkey pic.twitter.com/YUeF9xswHS\n— Qais A. Al Dhalai (@QaisUAE) February 10, 2023\n\nDuring the closing ceremony, a minute of silence was observed to show solidarity with the Syria High Rugby Committee, Turkish Rugby Federation, and everyone affected by the recent devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.\n\nAsia Rugby Independent Executive Committee member Trevor Gregory presented the championship trophy to the champions.\u00a0 \nMan of the match, Wade Lotter from Qatar, spoke to Asia Rugby about the tournament, saying, “There was a long wait for this\nAli Yaghooti\ntournament to happen and a huge build-up, and everyone was fired up for the game. It was a good game, and I was just fortunate to score the tries, but the credit must go to the team.”\n\u00a0Iran also demonstrated impressive character, finishing the game with two outstanding tries by superstar Ali Yaghooti\nRelated Articles\nAsia Rugby Appoints Match Officials for Division 3 West\u00a0\nAsia Rugby season kicks off with Qatar vs Iran Clash \u200e\nAsia Rugby Calendar 2023\nhttps://www.asiarugby.com/calendar-2023/\nWatch the full game\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWw24pO_3s8\nThe post Qatar Crowned Champions of Asia Rugby Division 3 West appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-02-11T23:01:55+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-02-11T23:01:55+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Qatar.jpg", "tags": [ "Iran", "Qatar", "Featured", "Asia Rugby Championship" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=8994", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2022/10/01/asia-rugby-postpones-division-3-west-championship/", "title": "Asia Rugby Postpones Division 3 West Championship", "content_html": "

After discussion with the two concerned federations, Asia Rugby has taken the prudent and difficult decision to postpone the eagerly anticipated Asia Rugby Division 3 West Championship, which was scheduled to take place\u00a0from the 30th of September to 3rd of October 2022\u00a0in Tehran, Iran.

\n

\"\"

\n

Reigning Division 3 West champions Qatar were scheduled to arrive in Iran’s capital on the 29th September for the two test series against the host country. Due to the current unstable situation on the ground and to ensure the welfare of all concerned players, match officials and organisers, and to ensure the event runs smoothly, all stakeholders agreed to postpone the tournament.

\n

 

\n

The Asia Rugby Competitions Committee met on Thursday 29th September to discuss the matter and make recommendations to Asia Rugby Executive Committee to take a decision on finding the best solution for this competition to go ahead and to give both teams the opportunity to qualify for a play-off tournament comprises of the three winners from various sub-regional Division 3 for a winner to be promoted to Asia Rugby Division 2 Championship in the year 2023.

\n

 

\n

The decision was taken yesterday in agreement with Iran Rugby Association that the situation on the ground will be monitored for the next 2 weeks and Asia Rugby together with Iran Rugby Association will take a final decision on either proposing the competition rescheduling for a later dates in Iran or to agree on playing in a neutral venue as agreed by all the parties involved.

\n

The post Asia Rugby Postpones Division 3 West Championship appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "After discussion with the two concerned federations, Asia Rugby has taken the prudent and difficult decision to postpone the eagerly anticipated Asia Rugby Division 3 West Championship, which was scheduled to take place\u00a0from the 30th of September to 3rd of October 2022\u00a0in Tehran, Iran.\n\nReigning Division 3 West champions Qatar were scheduled to arrive in Iran’s capital on the 29th September for the two test series against the host country. Due to the current unstable situation on the ground and to ensure the welfare of all concerned players, match officials and organisers, and to ensure the event runs smoothly, all stakeholders agreed to postpone the tournament.\n \nThe Asia Rugby Competitions Committee met on Thursday 29th September to discuss the matter and make recommendations to Asia Rugby Executive Committee to take a decision on finding the best solution for this competition to go ahead and to give both teams the opportunity to qualify for a play-off tournament comprises of the three winners from various sub-regional Division 3 for a winner to be promoted to Asia Rugby Division 2 Championship in the year 2023.\n \nThe decision was taken yesterday in agreement with Iran Rugby Association that the situation on the ground will be monitored for the next 2 weeks and Asia Rugby together with Iran Rugby Association will take a final decision on either proposing the competition rescheduling for a later dates in Iran or to agree on playing in a neutral venue as agreed by all the parties involved.\nThe post Asia Rugby Postpones Division 3 West Championship appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2022-10-01T05:16:08+08:00", "date_modified": "2022-10-01T05:16:08+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-12-at-5.16.39-PM.jpeg", "tags": [ "Iran", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=8541", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2022/03/11/international-rugby-event-in-tehran/", "title": "Iran inks history to host first-ever International Rugby Tournament \u00a0", "content_html": "\n

Under the new leadership of Iran Rugby Association, Asia Rugby is pleased to announce Iran as the host of the Asia Rugby Men\u2019s Division 3 West Championship. This is the first international XV rugby event ever being held in the country; the tournament will take place in the capital city Tehran\u00a0from 9th\u00a0through 14th\u00a0May 2022.

\n

\"\"

\n

Qatar are the Division 3 West reigning Champions as they won the 2019 event by edging out Lebanon 13-10 in the final at the Aspire Rugby Stadium in Doha.\u00a0The Qataris win in 2019 put an end to Lebanon\u2019s success in the tournament who had won the previous two titles in 2017 and 2018.

\n

The post Iran inks history to host first-ever International Rugby Tournament \u00a0 appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "Expression of interest from Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Oman and Jordan to join the host Iran\nTop seeds Qatar won ARD3 West in 2019\nFirst-ever International Rugby event in Tehran\n\nUnder the new leadership of Iran Rugby Association, Asia Rugby is pleased to announce Iran as the host of the Asia Rugby Men\u2019s Division 3 West Championship. This is the first international XV rugby event ever being held in the country; the tournament will take place in the capital city Tehran\u00a0from 9th\u00a0through 14th\u00a0May 2022.\n\nQatar are the Division 3 West reigning Champions as they won the 2019 event by edging out Lebanon 13-10 in the final at the Aspire Rugby Stadium in Doha.\u00a0The Qataris win in 2019 put an end to Lebanon\u2019s success in the tournament who had won the previous two titles in 2017 and 2018.\nThe post Iran inks history to host first-ever International Rugby Tournament \u00a0 appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2022-03-11T00:06:14+08:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-11T00:07:31+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ARMC-D3W-2022.jpg", "tags": [ "Iran", "Featured", "Asia Rugby Championship" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=8301", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2021/10/12/uae-clinch-double-gold-at-the-west-asia-7s-trophy/", "title": "UAE clinch double gold at the West Asia 7s trophy", "content_html": "

The United Arab Emirates men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams impressed at the West Asia 7s Trophy 2021 tournament held in Doha, Qatar as they won bragging rights to the title in both categories.

\n

UAE men beat a spirited Iran in the cup final by 38-14 while the UAE women\u2019s team thrashed Qatar by a scoreline of 41-0 refusing to concede a single try.

\n

\"\"

\n

 

\n

After a loss and a draw on Day 1, UAE turned the tide in their favour and maintained a\u00a0near-dominant streak on the concluding day of the tournament.

\n

Despite an unfortunate loss in\u00a0the final, Co-captain of the Qatar women\u2019s team Lauren Mudgway said that \u201cI am happy to be\u00a0back on the field.

\n

The highlight of the tournament for me was playing our first game back. We\u00a0didn\u2019t play competitive rugby for two years, so the feeling of being together again as teammates\u00a0and competitors is surreal.\u201d

\n

\"\"

\n

Despite a slow start in the tournament, the Palestines men put on a commendable show as they\u00a0made their first debut on Asia stage and showcased a decent level of rugby.

\n

Even as Iraq women fell\u00a0short of securing a win in the women\u2019s category, Zina Saleem powered the team to their\u00a0first-ever international try in their debut match against the hosts Qatar.

\n

\"West

\n

Asia Rugby President Mr Qais Al Dhalai joined the players and officials over two days of\u00a0action-packed rugby weekend and extended his best wishes to the winners and\u00a0participants alike. \u201cMany congratulations to the winning teams and to all participants for\u00a0bringing out the best of their sportsman spirit.

\n

We are happy to organize another international\u00a0tournament on Asian soil after a successful U-18 Girls championship last month in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

\n

\"West

\n

It is also a proud\u00a0moment for us at Asia Rugby to be able to offer Palestine and Iraq a platform to ink history with their first\u00a0international debut.”

\n

The President also took time out to laud the efforts of various federations in ensuring an environment of safe play. “As Asia Rugby is devoted to the safety of players, officials and fans under all circumstances, we are continuously monitoring the health situation in the region while adhering to COVID-19 protocols\u201d.

\n

With continued cooperation from all our Asia Rugby member unions to our ‘Return to Play’ initiative, we are certain that Asia Rugby will conduct many more tournaments to further strengthen the principles of equality, transparency and accountability in all quarters of the game.”

\n

 

\n

Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy 2021

\n

West Asia 7 Fixures and Results

\n

[West Asia Men’s 7s]\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0[West Asia Women’s 7s]\u00a0

\n

 

\n

FACEBOOK\u00a0|\u00a0INSTAGRAM\u00a0|\u00a0TWITTER\u00a0 |\u00a0YOUTUBE\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0LINKEDIN

\n

 

\n

\"West

\n

Final Standings
\nMen

\n

Gold: UAE
\nSilver: Iran
\n3rd: Qatar
\n4th: Lebanon
\n5th: Palestine

\n

 

\n

Final Standings
\nWomen

\n

Gold: UAE
\nSilver: Qatar
\n3rd: Iran
\n4th: Syria
\n5th: Iraq

\n

The post UAE clinch double gold at the West Asia 7s trophy appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The United Arab Emirates men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams impressed at the West Asia 7s Trophy 2021 tournament held in Doha, Qatar as they won bragging rights to the title in both categories.\nUAE men beat a spirited Iran in the cup final by 38-14 while the UAE women\u2019s team thrashed Qatar by a scoreline of 41-0 refusing to concede a single try.\n\n \nAfter a loss and a draw on Day 1, UAE turned the tide in their favour and maintained a\u00a0near-dominant streak on the concluding day of the tournament.\nDespite an unfortunate loss in\u00a0the final, Co-captain of the Qatar women\u2019s team Lauren Mudgway said that \u201cI am happy to be\u00a0back on the field.\nThe highlight of the tournament for me was playing our first game back. We\u00a0didn\u2019t play competitive rugby for two years, so the feeling of being together again as teammates\u00a0and competitors is surreal.\u201d\n\nDespite a slow start in the tournament, the Palestines men put on a commendable show as they\u00a0made their first debut on Asia stage and showcased a decent level of rugby.\nEven as Iraq women fell\u00a0short of securing a win in the women\u2019s category, Zina Saleem powered the team to their\u00a0first-ever international try in their debut match against the hosts Qatar.\n\nAsia Rugby President Mr Qais Al Dhalai joined the players and officials over two days of\u00a0action-packed rugby weekend and extended his best wishes to the winners and\u00a0participants alike. \u201cMany congratulations to the winning teams and to all participants for\u00a0bringing out the best of their sportsman spirit.\nWe are happy to organize another international\u00a0tournament on Asian soil after a successful U-18 Girls championship last month in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.\n\nIt is also a proud\u00a0moment for us at Asia Rugby to be able to offer Palestine and Iraq a platform to ink history with their first\u00a0international debut.”\nThe President also took time out to laud the efforts of various federations in ensuring an environment of safe play. “As Asia Rugby is devoted to the safety of players, officials and fans under all circumstances, we are continuously monitoring the health situation in the region while adhering to COVID-19 protocols\u201d.\nWith continued cooperation from all our Asia Rugby member unions to our ‘Return to Play’ initiative, we are certain that Asia Rugby will conduct many more tournaments to further strengthen the principles of equality, transparency and accountability in all quarters of the game.”\n \nAsia Rugby Sevens Trophy 2021\nWest Asia 7 Fixures and Results\n[West Asia Men’s 7s]\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0[West Asia Women’s 7s]\u00a0\n \nFACEBOOK\u00a0|\u00a0INSTAGRAM\u00a0|\u00a0TWITTER\u00a0 |\u00a0YOUTUBE\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0LINKEDIN\n \n\nFinal Standings\nMen\nGold: UAE\nSilver: Iran\n3rd: Qatar\n4th: Lebanon\n5th: Palestine\n \nFinal Standings\nWomen\nGold: UAE\nSilver: Qatar\n3rd: Iran\n4th: Syria\n5th: Iraq\nThe post UAE clinch double gold at the West Asia 7s trophy appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2021-10-12T06:19:14+08:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-12T06:21:47+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/002.jpg", "tags": [ "Lebanon", "UAE", "Qatar", "Syria", "Palestine", "Iraq", "Iran", "Featured", "Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy", "News", "AR West" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=8144", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2021/07/05/nahid-biyarjomandi/", "title": "Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi driven by \u201cheavy responsibility\u201d to empower women in rugby around the world", "content_html": "

World Rugby spoke to the World Rugby Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarship recipient and Asia Rugby Executive Committee member about an exciting year, in which she has also given birth to her first child.

\n

Nahid Biyarjomandi\u00a0had already achieved more than most would hope to in a lifetime when she was chosen as one of 15\u00a0\u2018Unstoppable\u2019 women in rugby\u00a0two years ago.

\n

Related Link: Asia Rugby Unstoppable\u00a0

\n

\"Unstoppable

\n

Iranian Biyarjomandi describes the experience of becoming an ambassador for World Rugby\u2019s\u00a0Try And Stop Us campaign\u00a0as life-changing, and admits she still feels a \u201cheavy responsibility\u201d to help grow female participation.

\n

\u201cI think the biggest changes in my life happened inside me after this campaign,\u201d she told World Rugby.

\n

\u201cI felt like I was finally seen after all the volunteering I did, and that gave me hope to continue on the path and gave me the strength to believe in more of my abilities, and try to pass on this new power to other girls.

\n

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

\n

Biyarjomandi has become increasingly influential since she founded Iran\u2019s first women\u2019s rugby club, starting with just two players but helping the popularity of the female game outstrip that of the men\u2019s.

\n

In 2016, she was appointed by the Iran Rugby Federation as head of its development committee, overseeing both women\u2019s and men\u2019s participation, and currently sits on the union\u2019s board.

\n

At a continental level, Biyarjomandi is a member of\u00a0Asia Rugby\u2019s\u00a0Executive Committee and is also a deputy chair of the governing body\u2019s Women\u2019s Advisory Committee.

\n

And, if her time wasn\u2019t stretched enough already, the 33-year-old took on two very different yet equally time-consuming challenges this year.

\n

In March, Biyarjomandi was one of 12 recipients of the\u00a02021 World Rugby Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarship. Last month, meanwhile, she gave birth to her first child, Lia.

\n

\u201cThis was the third year that I applied for this scholarship, and I think I was even happier after a few years of trying.

\n

\u201cIn general, I do not like to achieve success without effort and I think Asia Rugby supported me at the right time,\u201d she said.

\n

\u201cI cannot say that my pregnancy had no effect at all (on the scholarship), but I will have better conditions in the future, and fortunately my husband supports me a lot and I have no particular worries.\u201d

\n

EMPOWERING WOMEN

\n

Nahid Biyarjomandi has spoken in the past about being part of a \u201crugby family\u201d, and she hopes to use the scholarship not only to educate herself, but to exchange ideas with people she would not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise.

\n

\u201cWhat I am most interested in about this scholarship is that the programmes of this scholarship are not limited to one specific [area],\u201d she said.

\n

\u201cThrough this programme, whether it is education or participating in a special course… We can enter a new world and experience new opportunities with people from different cultures from around the world.

\n

\u201cI am looking to empower myself as a woman to be able to lead more women and girls to this path in the future.

\n

\u201cCertainly, everyone has her own goal in this path, but rugby is what has brought us all together.\u201d

\n

In terms of the specific emphasis of her work over the next year, Biyarjomandi added: \u201cI\u2019ll focus on the development of two parts.

\n

\u201cOne is leadership skills in sports, both nationally and internationally, and the other is the development of personality skills that are necessary for the first part.

\n

\u201cI believe that in many cases the experiences of others can be used to pave the way, in which we share the path to success and the challenges we faced, as well as the solutions that we can help each other a lot.\u201d

\n

UNSTOPPABLE FAMILY

\n

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means that Biyarjomandi has had to be flexible with her plans for the scholarship, as study tours to conferences and academies have been postponed or cancelled.

\n

However, she finds positives in conducting her work online. \u201cI just have to try to find a new way according to the new situation and I am sure that good things will happen,\u201d she said.

\n

\u201cFor example, one of the effects of corona was having virtual meetings with people I may never have thought of talking to or meeting, or even attending virtual classes or courses that are difficult to attend in person.\u201d

\n

Iran is fairly uniquely placed in that the popularity of the women\u2019s game ensures that female players do not encounter the kind of challenges that their counterparts in other countries face.

\n

\u201cOnly occasionally do sponsors take a better look at men’s sports, which has been improving in recent years and their mind is changing,\u201d Biyarjomandi said.

\n

\u201cFewer families here today consider that rugby is a sport just for boys.\u201d

\n

However, all rugby players in Iran remain amateur and Biyarjomandi is keen to help the game professionalise in the Asian country.

\n

She would also like to see the country\u2019s national teams, coaches and match officials gain more international exposure, once COVID-19 restrictions allow, in order to safeguard rugby\u2019s standing.

\n

Biyarjomandi\u2019s husband is himself a national team player, so do the couple hope baby Lia will follow her parents onto the rugby pitch when she is older?

\n

\u201cI would like this to happen,\u201d she admitted. \u201cBut, if she herself is not interested, we will just try to help her to be an \u2018Unstoppable\u2019 in her favourite way, which I\u2019ve learned from rugby.\u201d

\n

\u201cHowever, I cannot deny how proud I was to hear the news of this campaign in the first week, both inside and outside the country, and I will not forget the happiness of my family and friends.\u201d

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The post Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi driven by \u201cheavy responsibility\u201d to empower women in rugby around the world appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "World Rugby spoke to the World Rugby Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarship recipient and Asia Rugby Executive Committee member about an exciting year, in which she has also given birth to her first child.\nNahid Biyarjomandi\u00a0had already achieved more than most would hope to in a lifetime when she was chosen as one of 15\u00a0\u2018Unstoppable\u2019 women in rugby\u00a0two years ago.\nRelated Link: Asia Rugby Unstoppable\u00a0\n\nIranian Biyarjomandi describes the experience of becoming an ambassador for World Rugby\u2019s\u00a0Try And Stop Us campaign\u00a0as life-changing, and admits she still feels a \u201cheavy responsibility\u201d to help grow female participation.\n\u201cI think the biggest changes in my life happened inside me after this campaign,\u201d she told World Rugby.\n\u201cI felt like I was finally seen after all the volunteering I did, and that gave me hope to continue on the path and gave me the strength to believe in more of my abilities, and try to pass on this new power to other girls.\nHARD WORK PAYS OFF\nBiyarjomandi has become increasingly influential since she founded Iran\u2019s first women\u2019s rugby club, starting with just two players but helping the popularity of the female game outstrip that of the men\u2019s.\nIn 2016, she was appointed by the Iran Rugby Federation as head of its development committee, overseeing both women\u2019s and men\u2019s participation, and currently sits on the union\u2019s board.\nAt a continental level, Biyarjomandi is a member of\u00a0Asia Rugby\u2019s\u00a0Executive Committee and is also a deputy chair of the governing body\u2019s Women\u2019s Advisory Committee.\nAnd, if her time wasn\u2019t stretched enough already, the 33-year-old took on two very different yet equally time-consuming challenges this year.\nIn March, Biyarjomandi was one of 12 recipients of the\u00a02021 World Rugby Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarship. Last month, meanwhile, she gave birth to her first child, Lia.\n\u201cThis was the third year that I applied for this scholarship, and I think I was even happier after a few years of trying.\n\u201cIn general, I do not like to achieve success without effort and I think Asia Rugby supported me at the right time,\u201d she said.\n\u201cI cannot say that my pregnancy had no effect at all (on the scholarship), but I will have better conditions in the future, and fortunately my husband supports me a lot and I have no particular worries.\u201d\nEMPOWERING WOMEN\nNahid Biyarjomandi has spoken in the past about being part of a \u201crugby family\u201d, and she hopes to use the scholarship not only to educate herself, but to exchange ideas with people she would not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise.\n\u201cWhat I am most interested in about this scholarship is that the programmes of this scholarship are not limited to one specific [area],\u201d she said.\n\u201cThrough this programme, whether it is education or participating in a special course… We can enter a new world and experience new opportunities with people from different cultures from around the world.\n\u201cI am looking to empower myself as a woman to be able to lead more women and girls to this path in the future.\n\u201cCertainly, everyone has her own goal in this path, but rugby is what has brought us all together.\u201d\nIn terms of the specific emphasis of her work over the next year, Biyarjomandi added: \u201cI\u2019ll focus on the development of two parts.\n\u201cOne is leadership skills in sports, both nationally and internationally, and the other is the development of personality skills that are necessary for the first part.\n\u201cI believe that in many cases the experiences of others can be used to pave the way, in which we share the path to success and the challenges we faced, as well as the solutions that we can help each other a lot.\u201d\nUNSTOPPABLE FAMILY\nThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means that Biyarjomandi has had to be flexible with her plans for the scholarship, as study tours to conferences and academies have been postponed or cancelled.\nHowever, she finds positives in conducting her work online. \u201cI just have to try to find a new way according to the new situation and I am sure that good things will happen,\u201d she said.\n\u201cFor example, one of the effects of corona was having virtual meetings with people I may never have thought of talking to or meeting, or even attending virtual classes or courses that are difficult to attend in person.\u201d\nIran is fairly uniquely placed in that the popularity of the women\u2019s game ensures that female players do not encounter the kind of challenges that their counterparts in other countries face.\n\u201cOnly occasionally do sponsors take a better look at men’s sports, which has been improving in recent years and their mind is changing,\u201d Biyarjomandi said.\n\u201cFewer families here today consider that rugby is a sport just for boys.\u201d\nHowever, all rugby players in Iran remain amateur and Biyarjomandi is keen to help the game professionalise in the Asian country.\nShe would also like to see the country\u2019s national teams, coaches and match officials gain more international exposure, once COVID-19 restrictions allow, in order to safeguard rugby\u2019s standing.\nBiyarjomandi\u2019s husband is himself a national team player, so do the couple hope baby Lia will follow her parents onto the rugby pitch when she is older?\n\u201cI would like this to happen,\u201d she admitted. \u201cBut, if she herself is not interested, we will just try to help her to be an \u2018Unstoppable\u2019 in her favourite way, which I\u2019ve learned from rugby.\u201d\n\u201cHowever, I cannot deny how proud I was to hear the news of this campaign in the first week, both inside and outside the country, and I will not forget the happiness of my family and friends.\u201d\nThe post Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi driven by \u201cheavy responsibility\u201d to empower women in rugby around the world appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2021-07-05T05:35:56+08:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-05T05:35:56+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/head-naheed.jpg", "tags": [ "Iran", "Unstoppable", "Nahid", "Featured" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=7604", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2020/11/19/world-rugby-full-member-status/", "title": "Iran and Laos achieve World Rugby full member status and Nepal becomes an associate member", "content_html": "
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  • Burkina Faso, Iran and Laos achieve World Rugby full member status
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  • Nepal and Panama become new associate members of international federation
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  • World Rugby membership rises to 128 unions across all continents
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  • Nielsen research published this month recorded 405 million rugby fans globally
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  • Growth is driven by a surge in interest in emerging nations and women\u2019s rugby
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At its virtual interim Council meeting today World Rugby officially welcomed three unions as full members and two new unions as associate members of the international federation, bringing the global World Rugby membership to 128 unions.

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Related News: Jordan and Qatar become associate members of World Rugby

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Burkina Faso, Iran and Laos have been awarded full member status having met all the relevant criteria, while Nepal and Panama become new associate members.

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The accession into full and associate membership of the five unions from three regions represents a key element of World Rugby\u2019s global growth strategy, ensuring that upon meeting the relevant criteria unions are provided with a framework and support to continue their growth and development as part of the World Rugby family.

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The expansion of the World Rugby membership follows the release of the\u00a0Global reach of rugby 2019\u00a0report earlier this month, which is based on studies conducted by global measurement and data analytics industry leaders Nielsen and found there to be 877 million followers and 405 million fans of rugby union worldwide in 2019, up 11 per cent and 18 per cent on 2018 figures respectively.

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NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS GLOBAL RISE IN RUGBY INTEREST >>

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\"Laos

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Asia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai Commented on the occasion \u201c It is fitting that on the first anniversary of being elected as President of Asia Rugby that we hear this wonderful news for me there is no better gift on this day than seeing Asia Rugby family grow bigger and from strength to strength\u201d

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He further added \u201c I would like to thank the Presidents of the unions:\u00a0 Dr Hassan Mirzaaghabeik President of\u00a0Iran Rugby Association; Mr Virayouth Rathikoun President of Lao Rugby Federation and Mr Tanka Lal Ghising President of\u00a0Nepal Rugby Association\u00a0as they have worked tirelessly to grow the game in their respective countries and have also supported me in growing the game in Asia.

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I am committed to keep growing the sport of Rugby throughout Asia by empowering our member unions. I stand firm to my guiding principles of Equality,\u00a0Transparency and Accountability. As always\u00a0\u201cWe can do better but TOGETHER”

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\"Iran

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The unprecedented growth has been driven by increases in women\u2019s interest and participation in the sport along with surging enthusiasm in rugby\u2019s emerging nations, with the number of rugby fans across the surveyed emerging nations up to 168 million, almost doubling since 2013 when the data began.

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Across 36 surveyed markets, there were more than 140 million female rugby fans in 2019, which marks a 29 per cent increase since 2018, and Iran has been at the forefront of driving women\u2019s rugby interest, with more women playing the sport than men. The number of registered players in Iran increased by 20 per cent from 10,000 to 12,000 between 2019-20 and more than 7,000 of those are female.

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HOW WOMEN ARE CHANGING THE GAME IN IRANIAN RUGBY >>

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Iran Rugby Federation Head of Women\u2019s Rugby Development Nahid Biyarjomandi, who founded the first women\u2019s rugby club in Iran, is an Unstoppable \u00a0and her involvement in\u00a0World Rugby\u2019s global \u2018Try And Stop Us\u2019 campaign\u00a0has had a positive impact in her homeland. Iran has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2013 and is a full member of Asia Rugby.

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Unstoppable Asia\u00a0

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Burkina Faso is an up-and-coming West African rugby nation led by Union President Rolande Boro, who is also a Rugby Africa Executive Committee Member and World Rugby Council member. Boro is a participant on World Rugby\u2019s Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarships programme\u00a0and an influential member of\u00a0Rugby Africa’s Women\u2019s Advisory Committee.

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Burkina Faso have performed well over the past years in West Africa regional competitions as well as at the Africa Youth Games. The Federation Burkinabe de Rugby has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2018 and a full member of Rugby Africa.

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Rugby World Cup 2019 hosted in Japan, the first held in Asia, broke fan engagement records and boosted rugby\u2019s\"\"

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profile across the continent and Laos was heavily involved in this breakthrough moment for the world\u2019s most populous and youthful continent, as a host country of the ChildFund Pass It Back programme, Rugby World Cup 2019\u2019s principal charity partner. The programme benefitted more than 25,000 underprivileged young people in Asia via rugby and life skills through the generosity of the global rugby family who raised a record-breaking \u00a32 million for the initiative.

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The Lao Rugby Federation has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2005 and is a full member of Asia Rugby.

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Nepal\u2019s addition as an associate member follows the successful hosting of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour in December 2018 when the Webb Ellis Cup made its first-ever visit to Nepal and more than 2,500 people took part in a Get Into Rugby festival in Kathmandu, before the famous trophy reached its highest point to date as it was taken 5,500m up in the Himalayas. Nepal Rugby Association has been a full member of Asia Rugby since 2018.

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Meanwhile Panama (Uni\u00f3n Paname\u00f1a de Rugby) is a small but growing union and a member of Sudam\u00e9rica Rugby, a region which contributed significantly to the growth in emerging nations\u2019 rugby interest in 2019.

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In addition to the new members, it was confirmed that Cameroon has been reinstated as a member.

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SEE FULL LIST OF WORLD RUGBY MEMBER UNIONS >>

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World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: \u201cWorld Rugby is delighted to welcome Burkina Faso, Iran and Laos as new full members and Nepal and Panama as associate members as we continue our commitment to the sustainable global growth of the sport combined with strong governance.

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\u201cWe are dedicated to increasing the breadth and diversity of the global game and the progress being made in countries such as these is a great tribute to the many talented coaches, administrators and volunteers involved in growing the sport across the emerging nations.

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\u201cIncreasing the interest, participation and executive positions for women in rugby is a key objective for World Rugby so it is particularly pleasing to see the leading roles being played by women in both the Burkina Faso and Iran unions. As members of the World Rugby family we will work with these unions to provide them with continuous support and a solid framework to accelerate the growth of the sport in their countries.\u201d

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Lao Rugby Federation CEO and 2020 World Rugby Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarship member, Viengsamai Souksavanh commented: “Becoming a full member of World Rugby has been our dream and we are thrilled to be able to finally accomplish this during Lao Rugby\u2019s 20 year anniversary. Our thousands of coaches and players, over half of whom are female, across Laos will be joining us in celebrating this great accomplishment and in working even harder to use the boost of full membership to expand and develop rugby even further across the country.”

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\"Iran

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Dr Hassan Mirzaaghabeik, President Iran Rugby President said: \u201cIran Rugby has gone through difficult conditions to reach today. So at this point,

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I would like to thank the people who have helped Iran move forward in the development of rugby in Asia, including Sir Bill Beaumont,

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World Rugby Women\u2019s Rugby General Manager Katie Sadleir, Qais Al-Dhalai and all the World Rugby representatives in Asia.

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Iranian women are more active in rugby today than men and this is due to the efforts of Nahid Biyarjomandi.\u201d

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Tanka Lal Ghising, Nepal Rugby Association President said: \u201cI would like to express my sincere thanks to World

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\"Nepal\"

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Rugby from Nepal, a nation containing Mount Everest for this immense recognition in World Rugby as an associate member. It has been a great achievement to develop rugby in Nepal under my leadership since 2012. We are delighted by the recognition of our continuous devotion to the sport. The dimensions of Nepal Rugby have increased with this decision and Nepal is eager to bear the new responsibility.\u201d

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Manuel Valdivia, President of the Uni\u00f3n Paname\u00f1a de Rugby said: \u201cAs a young and hardworking Union we are very happy and grateful to World Rugby for recognising our effort to increase the number of rugby players in Panama and to maintain a strong relationship with the other unions in our region. It has not been an easy task to involve more people in this\u00a0 sport we love but our passion lies in envisioning a future with more children and young people involved with the oval ball playing in green rugby fields. That\u00b4s why we\u00b4ll continue to move forward to achieve more and more together.\u201d

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The post Iran and Laos achieve World Rugby full member status and Nepal becomes an associate member appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "Burkina Faso, Iran and Laos achieve World Rugby full member status\nNepal and Panama become new associate members of international federation\nWorld Rugby membership rises to 128 unions across all continents\nNielsen research published this month recorded 405 million rugby fans globally\nGrowth is driven by a surge in interest in emerging nations and women\u2019s rugby\n\nAt its virtual interim Council meeting today World Rugby officially welcomed three unions as full members and two new unions as associate members of the international federation, bringing the global World Rugby membership to 128 unions.\nRelated News: Jordan and Qatar become associate members of World Rugby\nBurkina Faso, Iran and Laos have been awarded full member status having met all the relevant criteria, while Nepal and Panama become new associate members.\nThe accession into full and associate membership of the five unions from three regions represents a key element of World Rugby\u2019s global growth strategy, ensuring that upon meeting the relevant criteria unions are provided with a framework and support to continue their growth and development as part of the World Rugby family.\nThe expansion of the World Rugby membership follows the release of the\u00a0Global reach of rugby 2019\u00a0report earlier this month, which is based on studies conducted by global measurement and data analytics industry leaders Nielsen and found there to be 877 million followers and 405 million fans of rugby union worldwide in 2019, up 11 per cent and 18 per cent on 2018 figures respectively.\nNEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS GLOBAL RISE IN RUGBY INTEREST >>\n\nAsia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai Commented on the occasion \u201c It is fitting that on the first anniversary of being elected as President of Asia Rugby that we hear this wonderful news for me there is no better gift on this day than seeing Asia Rugby family grow bigger and from strength to strength\u201d\nHe further added \u201c I would like to thank the Presidents of the unions:\u00a0 Dr Hassan Mirzaaghabeik President of\u00a0Iran Rugby Association; Mr Virayouth Rathikoun President of Lao Rugby Federation and Mr Tanka Lal Ghising President of\u00a0Nepal Rugby Association\u00a0as they have worked tirelessly to grow the game in their respective countries and have also supported me in growing the game in Asia.\nI am committed to keep growing the sport of Rugby throughout Asia by empowering our member unions. I stand firm to my guiding principles of Equality,\u00a0Transparency and Accountability. As always\u00a0\u201cWe can do better but TOGETHER”\n\nThe unprecedented growth has been driven by increases in women\u2019s interest and participation in the sport along with surging enthusiasm in rugby\u2019s emerging nations, with the number of rugby fans across the surveyed emerging nations up to 168 million, almost doubling since 2013 when the data began.\nAcross 36 surveyed markets, there were more than 140 million female rugby fans in 2019, which marks a 29 per cent increase since 2018, and Iran has been at the forefront of driving women\u2019s rugby interest, with more women playing the sport than men. The number of registered players in Iran increased by 20 per cent from 10,000 to 12,000 between 2019-20 and more than 7,000 of those are female.\n \nHOW WOMEN ARE CHANGING THE GAME IN IRANIAN RUGBY >>\n\nIran Rugby Federation Head of Women\u2019s Rugby Development Nahid Biyarjomandi, who founded the first women\u2019s rugby club in Iran, is an Unstoppable \u00a0and her involvement in\u00a0World Rugby\u2019s global \u2018Try And Stop Us\u2019 campaign\u00a0has had a positive impact in her homeland. Iran has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2013 and is a full member of Asia Rugby.\nUnstoppable Asia\u00a0\nBurkina Faso is an up-and-coming West African rugby nation led by Union President Rolande Boro, who is also a Rugby Africa Executive Committee Member and World Rugby Council member. Boro is a participant on World Rugby\u2019s Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarships programme\u00a0and an influential member of\u00a0Rugby Africa’s Women\u2019s Advisory Committee.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBurkina Faso have performed well over the past years in West Africa regional competitions as well as at the Africa Youth Games. The Federation Burkinabe de Rugby has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2018 and a full member of Rugby Africa.\nRugby World Cup 2019 hosted in Japan, the first held in Asia, broke fan engagement records and boosted rugby\u2019s\nprofile across the continent and Laos was heavily involved in this breakthrough moment for the world\u2019s most populous and youthful continent, as a host country of the ChildFund Pass It Back programme, Rugby World Cup 2019\u2019s principal charity partner. The programme benefitted more than 25,000 underprivileged young people in Asia via rugby and life skills through the generosity of the global rugby family who raised a record-breaking \u00a32 million for the initiative.\n \nThe Lao Rugby Federation has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2005 and is a full member of Asia Rugby.\n\nNepal\u2019s addition as an associate member follows the successful hosting of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour in December 2018 when the Webb Ellis Cup made its first-ever visit to Nepal and more than 2,500 people took part in a Get Into Rugby festival in Kathmandu, before the famous trophy reached its highest point to date as it was taken 5,500m up in the Himalayas. Nepal Rugby Association has been a full member of Asia Rugby since 2018.\nMeanwhile Panama (Uni\u00f3n Paname\u00f1a de Rugby) is a small but growing union and a member of Sudam\u00e9rica Rugby, a region which contributed significantly to the growth in emerging nations\u2019 rugby interest in 2019.\nIn addition to the new members, it was confirmed that Cameroon has been reinstated as a member.\nSEE FULL LIST OF WORLD RUGBY MEMBER UNIONS >>\nWorld Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: \u201cWorld Rugby is delighted to welcome Burkina Faso, Iran and Laos as new full members and Nepal and Panama as associate members as we continue our commitment to the sustainable global growth of the sport combined with strong governance.\n\u201cWe are dedicated to increasing the breadth and diversity of the global game and the progress being made in countries such as these is a great tribute to the many talented coaches, administrators and volunteers involved in growing the sport across the emerging nations.\n\u201cIncreasing the interest, participation and executive positions for women in rugby is a key objective for World Rugby so it is particularly pleasing to see the leading roles being played by women in both the Burkina Faso and Iran unions. As members of the World Rugby family we will work with these unions to provide them with continuous support and a solid framework to accelerate the growth of the sport in their countries.\u201d\n\nLao Rugby Federation CEO and 2020 World Rugby Women\u2019s Executive Leadership Scholarship member, Viengsamai Souksavanh commented: “Becoming a full member of World Rugby has been our dream and we are thrilled to be able to finally accomplish this during Lao Rugby\u2019s 20 year anniversary. Our thousands of coaches and players, over half of whom are female, across Laos will be joining us in celebrating this great accomplishment and in working even harder to use the boost of full membership to expand and develop rugby even further across the country.”\n\n \nDr Hassan Mirzaaghabeik, President Iran Rugby President said: \u201cIran Rugby has gone through difficult conditions to reach today. So at this point,\nI would like to thank the people who have helped Iran move forward in the development of rugby in Asia, including Sir Bill Beaumont,\nWorld Rugby Women\u2019s Rugby General Manager Katie Sadleir, Qais Al-Dhalai and all the World Rugby representatives in Asia.\nIranian women are more active in rugby today than men and this is due to the efforts of Nahid Biyarjomandi.\u201d\nTanka Lal Ghising, Nepal Rugby Association President said: \u201cI would like to express my sincere thanks to World\n\nRugby from Nepal, a nation containing Mount Everest for this immense recognition in World Rugby as an associate member. It has been a great achievement to develop rugby in Nepal under my leadership since 2012. We are delighted by the recognition of our continuous devotion to the sport. The dimensions of Nepal Rugby have increased with this decision and Nepal is eager to bear the new responsibility.\u201d\nManuel Valdivia, President of the Uni\u00f3n Paname\u00f1a de Rugby said: \u201cAs a young and hardworking Union we are very happy and grateful to World Rugby for recognising our effort to increase the number of rugby players in Panama and to maintain a strong relationship with the other unions in our region. It has not been an easy task to involve more people in this\u00a0 sport we love but our passion lies in envisioning a future with more children and young people involved with the oval ball playing in green rugby fields. That\u00b4s why we\u00b4ll continue to move forward to achieve more and more together.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe post Iran and Laos achieve World Rugby full member status and Nepal becomes an associate member appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2020-11-19T13:29:53+08:00", "date_modified": "2020-11-19T13:36:08+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MEMBERS.jpg", "tags": [ "Qais Al-Dhalai", "Nepal", "Iran", "Laos", "Featured", "Unstoppable", "Lao", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=7336", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2020/07/26/iran-rugby-how-women-are-changing-the-game/", "title": "How women are changing the game in Iranian rugby", "content_html": "

Rugby in Iran, Rugby union has been played in Iran for longer than you might think.

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Used informally in military training from at least the 1940s, the game fell out of favour following the Iran Revolution of 1978-79.

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\"Iran

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Aside from the exploits of Tehran-born scrum-half Aadel Kardooni, who played for Leicester between 1988-97 and represented England A in 1992, the country seemed to have little connection to rugby over much of the ensuing two decades.

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Related Story: Nahid Biyarjomandi: Iranian girls can be role models for the world

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However, that changed when a group of physical education students, led by their teacher Bijan Safaei, whose father had been a rugby player, began a renaissance at Azad University in 1996.

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According to the Iran Rugby Federation (IRF), the equipment that Safaei was able to get his hands on included three rugby balls, two of which were between 30-50 years old, while the third was a football that had been fashioned into an oval shape using tape.

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Undeterred, the game\u2019s new disciples drummed up enough interest that by 2000 the foundations for what would become the IRF had been put in place, initially as a committee of the country\u2019s Baseball Federation.

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BECOMING AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER

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In 2007, Iran played their first men\u2019s test match, beating Pakistan 32-3 at a tournament in Sri Lanka. Three years later, the country became an associate member of World Rugby.

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The IRF\u2019s aim is to become a full member, and its case is backed up by some impressive growth. According to the union, the number of registered players in Iran increased by 20 per cent from 10,000 to 12,000 between 2019-20 alone.

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Based on figures collected by World Rugby in 2019, that number would place Iran on a par with Belgium, and ahead of Rugby World Cup 2019 participants Georgia and Uruguay.

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Related Story :\u00a0LEBANON STEAL VICTORY WITH FINAL PENALTY KICK | #ARC2017 | Iran v Lebanon

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Moreover, 7,000 of those registered players are female.\u00a0Nahid Biyarjomandi, who founded the first women\u2019s rugby club in Iran, is a \u2018Try And Stop Us\u2019 ambassador and her involvement in the global campaign has had a positive impact in her homeland, according to IRF president Dr Hassan Mirza Aghabek.

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\u201cWhen Nahid was chosen for this project it was very important for all sports in Iran,\u201d he told World Rugby.

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\u201cIt makes us very happy and more supportive of women in Iran, and at this time Nahid is very famous in women\u2019s sports. All the time [people] ask her how to do that, and she explains with hard work.\u201d

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GROWING THE GAME

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Since it became an associate member of World Rugby, the IRF has implemented two five-year plans. The first was focused on growing Iran\u2019s player pool, primarily through tag rugby, while the second dealt with identifying and training homegrown coaches and referees.

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According to Aghabek, when he joined the union in 2011 there were only a handful of Iranian coaches and officials. Today, he is happy to report that 300 have attained World Rugby-accredited qualifications.

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\u201cTag rugby is very safe for families, [who are] not afraid about injuries for boys and girls,\u201d Aghabek said. \u201cWe have 31 provinces in Iran, and 29 provinces play rugby. It\u2019s very good.

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Related Article: The Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi

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\u201cWhen I came to the rugby association in Iran, we had just a few coaches and referees \u2014 about five or six people. But at this time we have a lot of national rugby coaches and referees, more than 300 take a certificate [from] World Rugby.

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\u201cWe worked hard, we have a close [relationship] in education with Asia Rugby, Mr Benjamin van Rooyen. And Katie Sadleir, [General Manager, Women\u2019s Rugby] at World Rugby really worked hard for Iran, and Nahid and me work very closely with her as a supporter.\u201d

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The post How women are changing the game in Iranian rugby appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "Rugby in Iran, Rugby union has been played in Iran for longer than you might think.\nUsed informally in military training from at least the 1940s, the game fell out of favour following the Iran Revolution of 1978-79.\n\nAside from the exploits of Tehran-born scrum-half Aadel Kardooni, who played for Leicester between 1988-97 and represented England A in 1992, the country seemed to have little connection to rugby over much of the ensuing two decades.\nRelated Story: Nahid Biyarjomandi: Iranian girls can be role models for the world\nHowever, that changed when a group of physical education students, led by their teacher Bijan Safaei, whose father had been a rugby player, began a renaissance at Azad University in 1996.\nAccording to the Iran Rugby Federation (IRF), the equipment that Safaei was able to get his hands on included three rugby balls, two of which were between 30-50 years old, while the third was a football that had been fashioned into an oval shape using tape.\nUndeterred, the game\u2019s new disciples drummed up enough interest that by 2000 the foundations for what would become the IRF had been put in place, initially as a committee of the country\u2019s Baseball Federation.\nBECOMING AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER\nIn 2007, Iran played their first men\u2019s test match, beating Pakistan 32-3 at a tournament in Sri Lanka. Three years later, the country became an associate member of World Rugby.\nThe IRF\u2019s aim is to become a full member, and its case is backed up by some impressive growth. According to the union, the number of registered players in Iran increased by 20 per cent from 10,000 to 12,000 between 2019-20 alone.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBased on figures collected by World Rugby in 2019, that number would place Iran on a par with Belgium, and ahead of Rugby World Cup 2019 participants Georgia and Uruguay.\nRelated Story :\u00a0LEBANON STEAL VICTORY WITH FINAL PENALTY KICK | #ARC2017 | Iran v Lebanon\nMoreover, 7,000 of those registered players are female.\u00a0Nahid Biyarjomandi, who founded the first women\u2019s rugby club in Iran, is a \u2018Try And Stop Us\u2019 ambassador and her involvement in the global campaign has had a positive impact in her homeland, according to IRF president Dr Hassan Mirza Aghabek.\n\u201cWhen Nahid was chosen for this project it was very important for all sports in Iran,\u201d he told World Rugby.\n\u201cIt makes us very happy and more supportive of women in Iran, and at this time Nahid is very famous in women\u2019s sports. All the time [people] ask her how to do that, and she explains with hard work.\u201d\nGROWING THE GAME\nSince it became an associate member of World Rugby, the IRF has implemented two five-year plans. The first was focused on growing Iran\u2019s player pool, primarily through tag rugby, while the second dealt with identifying and training homegrown coaches and referees.\nAccording to Aghabek, when he joined the union in 2011 there were only a handful of Iranian coaches and officials. Today, he is happy to report that 300 have attained World Rugby-accredited qualifications.\n\u201cTag rugby is very safe for families, [who are] not afraid about injuries for boys and girls,\u201d Aghabek said. \u201cWe have 31 provinces in Iran, and 29 provinces play rugby. It\u2019s very good.\nRelated Article: The Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi\n\u201cWhen I came to the rugby association in Iran, we had just a few coaches and referees \u2014 about five or six people. But at this time we have a lot of national rugby coaches and referees, more than 300 take a certificate [from] World Rugby.\n\u201cWe worked hard, we have a close [relationship] in education with Asia Rugby, Mr Benjamin van Rooyen. And Katie Sadleir, [General Manager, Women\u2019s Rugby] at World Rugby really worked hard for Iran, and Nahid and me work very closely with her as a supporter.\u201d\nThe post How women are changing the game in Iranian rugby appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2020-07-26T10:57:39+08:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-13T09:44:31+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/head-naheed.jpg", "tags": [ "Unstoppable", "Iran", "Iran women\u2019s Rugby", "Featured", "Womens Rugby" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=7179", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2020/06/07/the-unstoppable-nahid-biyarjomandi/", "title": "The Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi", "content_html": "

\u201cThink about your passion, face your barriers\u201d – Nahid Biyarjomandi

\n

Nahid Biyarjomandi is one of the \u201cUnstoppables\u201d who were chosen for the \u2018Try and Stop Us\u2019 campaign that was launched by World Rugby last year to promote women in rugby. This campaign features 15 inspirational women and girls with unstoppable qualities from around the globe, four of them were from Asia Rugby including Nahid. The 32-year-old Iranian

\n

\u201cUnstoppable\u201d is also a coach and head of women\u2019s and men\u2019s rugby development in Iran, besides being on the Women\u2019s Advisory Committee in Asia Rugby 2020.

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\"Unstoppable

\n

Sport has always taken a huge part in Nahid\u2019s life, as she went to the physical education high school in Iran where she played many sports with track and field being her major sport. She also played basketball and cricket for a short period of time before discovering her passion for rugby.

\n

\u201cNear 11 or 12 years ago, I got introduced to rugby by a friend of mine who asked me to try playing rugby, back then I used to live in a city near Tehran the capital of Iran, in that city rugby was more popular amongst boys than girls\u201d Nahid said.

\n

She played rugby for almost 8 years, after that she had to take off her rugby boots so she could focus only on coaching and developing women’s rugby in her country.\u00a0 \u201cI love playing rugby, but it was not possible for me to continue playing and being a coach at the same time, I needed to focus only on coaching\u201d she tells me.

\n

Alongside her coaching journey Nahid was invited by Iran Rugby Association to join them in developing women\u2019s rugby in Iran.

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\"Unstoppable

\n

\u201cWe had many women teams, and many women players but we did not have the right structure to develop women\u2019s rugby, therefore it was a part of my job to work hard and build the appropriate structure to develop women\u2019s rugby in Iran, and I think after two years of working with Iran Rugby Association on women\u2019s rugby development I was assigned as Head of Rugby Development for Men and Women in Iran\u201d Nahid added.

\n

\u201cI didn’t do it by myself, there were many people beside me\u201d

\n

When I asked Nahid how she managed to develop rugby and inspire more women to join rugby in her country and make the game grow more each day her first answer was that she was not alone. \u201cI was not alone to make it happen, many people helped me and still are\u201d Nahid said.

\n

Nahid and everyone who is involved in Iran rugby worked together and helped each other by believing that teamwork is essential to achieve their goals.

\n

With everyone\u2019s effort Iran rugby was able to grow the game in the country by undertaking the \u201cLong-term player development pathway\u201d and starting rugby in schools and making it more popular within clubs and universities, besides managing national tournaments and making it grow in many provinces in the country, in addition to that, media coverage had a huge impact in developing rugby in Iran.

\n

\u201cWe did lots of media issues and lots of rugby events and news were covered by many Iranian governmental TV channels, besides working on social media, all of that led to many girls and women getting to know rugby more and more\u201d Nahid said. She also made sure to thank her husband who is also a rugby player and has been very supportive of her journey.

\n

Being \u201cUnstoppable\u201d means facing many barriers and difficulties in your journey, but not letting these challenges stop you from achieving your goals. Nahid talked about her challenges saying \u201cI lived in Karaj and my work was in Tehran so every day I had to go to Tehran to work and help Iran Rugby Association and then go back home, I had to travel for two hours every day. It was not easy, it was hard for me, but because of my rugby passion I didn\u2019t let it stop me\u201d.

\n

\"Iran

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Nahid also mentioned that girls and women in Iran have challenges and face many barriers, but she is willing to help them in every way possible.

\n

\u201cBeing unstoppable is a huge responsibility for me\u201d\u00a0 – Nahid Biyarjomandi

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After choosing Nahid amongst the \u201cUnstoppables\u201d and joining the \u201cTry and Stop Us\u201d campaign with other inspiring women, she feels that there is a huge responsibility on her now that she is in a place where many young women and girls look up to her.

\n

\u201cI think being unstoppable in this huge project is a difficult and a heavy responsibility for me towards Iran Rugby and Asia Rugby and all women and girls around the world.

\n

Many people helped me to get here, so now it\u2019s my time to help others\u201d, Nahid said. \u201cAfter the Unstoppables project I believe that my duty and my mission is finding a new generation of Unstoppables in Asia and a new generation of Unstoppables in World Rugby\u201d, she added.

\n

Nahid\u2019s passion for rugby was evident when she talked about the sport and how it makes her believe that everything is possible, as she went on from playing to coaching to developing rugby and that only showed her how rugby opens many doors to her, learning from each one of them.

\n

One of the milestones that had a huge impact on her and added to her confidence as she claims was Iran Rugby winning the Women\u2019s Rugby Development Award 2018 after being invited by Asia Rugby to participate in \u201cWomen in Rugby Leadership Forum\u201d that was held on 13 December in Bangkok, Thailand as part of Asia Rugby\u2019s 50th-anniversary celebration.

\n

\"Nahid

\n

\u201cIt was an honor to all of our women and girls, and I think they can see themselves in the future in my shoes and even bigger than that. It\u2019s so good and I am so happy about that, I think it affected all girls in Iran and not just me\u201d.

\n

One thing Nahid sounds ultimately sure about is that she wouldn\u2019t change anything in her past, because she believes that everything happens in the right time, whether it\u2019s good or bad, and everything she has been through made her who she is today.

\n

\u201cIf time goes back and I have the chance to advise my younger self, I would say to myself that you need to keep going because you can achieve it, and to be kind to others\u201d.

\n

Nahid\u2019s success did not come on a silver spoon, she worked so hard to get where she is today, and she believes that in order to achieve something huge you need to go for it step by step without rushing and jumping ahead. It may take time but eventually when you reach the top you will have this valuable feeling of pride and satisfaction that you overcame every obstacle on your way up.

\n

\u00a0\u201cThink about your passion, face your barriers\u201d – Nahid Biyarjomandi\"Iran

\n

Nahid\u2019s message to women not only in Iran or Asia Rugby, but to all women over the globe is an empowering one: \u201cAlways think about you passion, face your barriers and problems, because nothing is easy but if there\u2019s something you want to achieve and you work hard for it, you definitely can catch it, and always think outside the box with no negative thoughts and doubts, and always be supportive to each other because I believe in karma, I think when we help someone it gets back to us, life shows me that every day\u201d.

\n

 

\n

Nahid\u2019s story is an inspiring message on its own, it is one that assures all women and girls who have big dreams that there are no limits they cannot break and that they need to keep going after their dreams and goals without letting any challenges stop them.

\n

 

\n

 

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The post The Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "\u201cThink about your passion, face your barriers\u201d – Nahid Biyarjomandi\nNahid Biyarjomandi is one of the \u201cUnstoppables\u201d who were chosen for the \u2018Try and Stop Us\u2019 campaign that was launched by World Rugby last year to promote women in rugby. This campaign features 15 inspirational women and girls with unstoppable qualities from around the globe, four of them were from Asia Rugby including Nahid. The 32-year-old Iranian\n\u201cUnstoppable\u201d is also a coach and head of women\u2019s and men\u2019s rugby development in Iran, besides being on the Women\u2019s Advisory Committee in Asia Rugby 2020.\n\nSport has always taken a huge part in Nahid\u2019s life, as she went to the physical education high school in Iran where she played many sports with track and field being her major sport. She also played basketball and cricket for a short period of time before discovering her passion for rugby.\n\u201cNear 11 or 12 years ago, I got introduced to rugby by a friend of mine who asked me to try playing rugby, back then I used to live in a city near Tehran the capital of Iran, in that city rugby was more popular amongst boys than girls\u201d Nahid said.\nShe played rugby for almost 8 years, after that she had to take off her rugby boots so she could focus only on coaching and developing women’s rugby in her country.\u00a0 \u201cI love playing rugby, but it was not possible for me to continue playing and being a coach at the same time, I needed to focus only on coaching\u201d she tells me.\nAlongside her coaching journey Nahid was invited by Iran Rugby Association to join them in developing women\u2019s rugby in Iran.\n\n\u201cWe had many women teams, and many women players but we did not have the right structure to develop women\u2019s rugby, therefore it was a part of my job to work hard and build the appropriate structure to develop women\u2019s rugby in Iran, and I think after two years of working with Iran Rugby Association on women\u2019s rugby development I was assigned as Head of Rugby Development for Men and Women in Iran\u201d Nahid added.\n\u201cI didn’t do it by myself, there were many people beside me\u201d\nWhen I asked Nahid how she managed to develop rugby and inspire more women to join rugby in her country and make the game grow more each day her first answer was that she was not alone. \u201cI was not alone to make it happen, many people helped me and still are\u201d Nahid said.\nNahid and everyone who is involved in Iran rugby worked together and helped each other by believing that teamwork is essential to achieve their goals.\nWith everyone\u2019s effort Iran rugby was able to grow the game in the country by undertaking the \u201cLong-term player development pathway\u201d and starting rugby in schools and making it more popular within clubs and universities, besides managing national tournaments and making it grow in many provinces in the country, in addition to that, media coverage had a huge impact in developing rugby in Iran.\n\u201cWe did lots of media issues and lots of rugby events and news were covered by many Iranian governmental TV channels, besides working on social media, all of that led to many girls and women getting to know rugby more and more\u201d Nahid said. She also made sure to thank her husband who is also a rugby player and has been very supportive of her journey.\nBeing \u201cUnstoppable\u201d means facing many barriers and difficulties in your journey, but not letting these challenges stop you from achieving your goals. Nahid talked about her challenges saying \u201cI lived in Karaj and my work was in Tehran so every day I had to go to Tehran to work and help Iran Rugby Association and then go back home, I had to travel for two hours every day. It was not easy, it was hard for me, but because of my rugby passion I didn\u2019t let it stop me\u201d.\n\nNahid also mentioned that girls and women in Iran have challenges and face many barriers, but she is willing to help them in every way possible.\n\u201cBeing unstoppable is a huge responsibility for me\u201d\u00a0 – Nahid Biyarjomandi\nAfter choosing Nahid amongst the \u201cUnstoppables\u201d and joining the \u201cTry and Stop Us\u201d campaign with other inspiring women, she feels that there is a huge responsibility on her now that she is in a place where many young women and girls look up to her.\n\u201cI think being unstoppable in this huge project is a difficult and a heavy responsibility for me towards Iran Rugby and Asia Rugby and all women and girls around the world.\nMany people helped me to get here, so now it\u2019s my time to help others\u201d, Nahid said. \u201cAfter the Unstoppables project I believe that my duty and my mission is finding a new generation of Unstoppables in Asia and a new generation of Unstoppables in World Rugby\u201d, she added.\nNahid\u2019s passion for rugby was evident when she talked about the sport and how it makes her believe that everything is possible, as she went on from playing to coaching to developing rugby and that only showed her how rugby opens many doors to her, learning from each one of them.\nOne of the milestones that had a huge impact on her and added to her confidence as she claims was Iran Rugby winning the Women\u2019s Rugby Development Award 2018 after being invited by Asia Rugby to participate in \u201cWomen in Rugby Leadership Forum\u201d that was held on 13 December in Bangkok, Thailand as part of Asia Rugby\u2019s 50th-anniversary celebration.\n\n\u201cIt was an honor to all of our women and girls, and I think they can see themselves in the future in my shoes and even bigger than that. It\u2019s so good and I am so happy about that, I think it affected all girls in Iran and not just me\u201d.\nOne thing Nahid sounds ultimately sure about is that she wouldn\u2019t change anything in her past, because she believes that everything happens in the right time, whether it\u2019s good or bad, and everything she has been through made her who she is today.\n\u201cIf time goes back and I have the chance to advise my younger self, I would say to myself that you need to keep going because you can achieve it, and to be kind to others\u201d.\nNahid\u2019s success did not come on a silver spoon, she worked so hard to get where she is today, and she believes that in order to achieve something huge you need to go for it step by step without rushing and jumping ahead. It may take time but eventually when you reach the top you will have this valuable feeling of pride and satisfaction that you overcame every obstacle on your way up.\n\u00a0\u201cThink about your passion, face your barriers\u201d – Nahid Biyarjomandi\nNahid\u2019s message to women not only in Iran or Asia Rugby, but to all women over the globe is an empowering one: \u201cAlways think about you passion, face your barriers and problems, because nothing is easy but if there\u2019s something you want to achieve and you work hard for it, you definitely can catch it, and always think outside the box with no negative thoughts and doubts, and always be supportive to each other because I believe in karma, I think when we help someone it gets back to us, life shows me that every day\u201d.\n \nNahid\u2019s story is an inspiring message on its own, it is one that assures all women and girls who have big dreams that there are no limits they cannot break and that they need to keep going after their dreams and goals without letting any challenges stop them.\n \n \nThe post The Unstoppable Nahid Biyarjomandi appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2020-06-07T15:49:36+08:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-08T14:45:32+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Sarah Abd Elbaki", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/sarah/", "avatar": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/STUL1519-e1590112946584-600x600.jpg" } ], "author": { "name": "Sarah Abd Elbaki", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/sarah/", "avatar": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/STUL1519-e1590112946584-600x600.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/head-naheed-1.jpg", "tags": [ "Iran", "Unstoppable", "Women in Rugby", "Womens Rugby", "Featured", "Sarah Abd elbaki" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=5878", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2019/05/23/women-in-rugby-campaign/", "title": "Asia Rugby most represented region in World Rugby\u2019s #TryAndStopUs campaign", "content_html": "

Tuesday 21 May saw World Rugby announce their landmark global campaign to revolutionise women\u2019s rugby.\u00a0 #TryAndStopUs

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With a new \u2018Women in Rugby\u2019 brand identity, the global campaign \u2018Try and Stop Us\u2019 was also launched.

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\"Womens

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The campaign has initially identified 15 women and girls involved in rugby with inspiring stories that are \u2018unstoppable\u2019.

\n

For Asia, they are the most represented region with four of the 15 unstoppable stories to be told with Sweta Shahi from India the first to be highlighted.

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Katie Sadleir, World Rugby General Manager of Women\u2019s Rugby, spoke to Asia Rugby at the launch event as to why they have chosen four of the 15 stories to be from Asia.

\n
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\"\ud83c\udfa5\"Proud of our four representatives in the 15 UNSTOPPABLES @WorldRugby #TryAndStopUs pic.twitter.com/4Uf61doaLY

\n

— Asia Rugby (@asiarugby) May 21, 2019

\n

\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve chosen 15 women from around the world to be our first unstoppables, but particularly chose four from Asia so that the most come from Asia,\u201d said Sadleir.

\n

\u201cWhy do we do that? Well we know that is where some of our biggest growth markets are. To see what\u2019s been happening in Asia linked to Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics, we want to get behind the unions to ensure they have the toolkits and resources that they need to help them grow women in rugby.

\n

\u201cAsia is really well led by Ada Milby who happened to be the first woman on the World Rugby Council.

\n

\"\"

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\u201cHer role has been to work with the Council inside Asia to make them understand the importance and the strategic growth that there is with women in rugby.

\n

\u201cWe have run one leadership forum there and hope to run another one with key stakeholders across Asia to help them see how they can use campaigns like this to help them grow their women in rugby.\u201d

\n

Milby, who was also present at the event in Dublin, described this time as \u2018exciting\u2019 for all women\u2019s rugby in Asia.

\n

\u201cIt is a really exciting time to be a female player in Asia,\u201d added Milby.

\n

\u201cWe have a growing robust competition schedule, we have inclusion in the Olympics, we have inclusion in the Asia Games, each sub-region has inclusion in the likes of the SEA Games and now we have U20s, U18s.

\n

\u201cThere are huge opportunities to grow rugby for women. It is exciting, and if you\u2019ve never tried rugby I encourage you to do so and become an unstoppable.\u201d

\n

World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper also echoed the sentiments of Sadleir and Milby, describing the campaign as \u2018an attitude of spirit and character to live your life by\u2019.

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\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting day for rugby and for Asia Rugby,\u201d explained Gosper.

\n

\u201cThere is four of the 15 unstoppable stories who are the women we are using to inspire women in the world from Asia.

\n

\u201cIt is about being unstoppable, it is about the universal truth in rugby which is that this is a sport that teaches you an attitude of spirt and character to live your life by. It is a life skills lesson from rugby but an exciting campaign featuring some inspiring stories.\u201d

\n

\n

The post Asia Rugby most represented region in World Rugby\u2019s #TryAndStopUs campaign appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "Tuesday 21 May saw World Rugby announce their landmark global campaign to revolutionise women\u2019s rugby.\u00a0 #TryAndStopUs\nWith a new \u2018Women in Rugby\u2019 brand identity, the global campaign \u2018Try and Stop Us\u2019 was also launched.\n\nThe campaign has initially identified 15 women and girls involved in rugby with inspiring stories that are \u2018unstoppable\u2019.\nFor Asia, they are the most represented region with four of the 15 unstoppable stories to be told with Sweta Shahi from India the first to be highlighted.\nKatie Sadleir, World Rugby General Manager of Women\u2019s Rugby, spoke to Asia Rugby at the launch event as to why they have chosen four of the 15 stories to be from Asia.\n\nProud of our four representatives in the 15 UNSTOPPABLES @WorldRugby #TryAndStopUs pic.twitter.com/4Uf61doaLY\n— Asia Rugby (@asiarugby) May 21, 2019\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve chosen 15 women from around the world to be our first unstoppables, but particularly chose four from Asia so that the most come from Asia,\u201d said Sadleir.\n\u201cWhy do we do that? Well we know that is where some of our biggest growth markets are. To see what\u2019s been happening in Asia linked to Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics, we want to get behind the unions to ensure they have the toolkits and resources that they need to help them grow women in rugby.\n\u201cAsia is really well led by Ada Milby who happened to be the first woman on the World Rugby Council.\n\n\u201cHer role has been to work with the Council inside Asia to make them understand the importance and the strategic growth that there is with women in rugby.\n\u201cWe have run one leadership forum there and hope to run another one with key stakeholders across Asia to help them see how they can use campaigns like this to help them grow their women in rugby.\u201d\nMilby, who was also present at the event in Dublin, described this time as \u2018exciting\u2019 for all women\u2019s rugby in Asia.\n\u201cIt is a really exciting time to be a female player in Asia,\u201d added Milby.\n\u201cWe have a growing robust competition schedule, we have inclusion in the Olympics, we have inclusion in the Asia Games, each sub-region has inclusion in the likes of the SEA Games and now we have U20s, U18s.\n\u201cThere are huge opportunities to grow rugby for women. It is exciting, and if you\u2019ve never tried rugby I encourage you to do so and become an unstoppable.\u201d\nWorld Rugby CEO Brett Gosper also echoed the sentiments of Sadleir and Milby, describing the campaign as \u2018an attitude of spirit and character to live your life by\u2019.\n\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting day for rugby and for Asia Rugby,\u201d explained Gosper.\n\u201cThere is four of the 15 unstoppable stories who are the women we are using to inspire women in the world from Asia.\n\u201cIt is about being unstoppable, it is about the universal truth in rugby which is that this is a sport that teaches you an attitude of spirt and character to live your life by. It is a life skills lesson from rugby but an exciting campaign featuring some inspiring stories.\u201d\n\nThe post Asia Rugby most represented region in World Rugby\u2019s #TryAndStopUs campaign appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2019-05-23T10:54:39+08:00", "date_modified": "2019-05-29T09:13:18+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/head.jpg", "tags": [ "China", "malaysia", "Unstoppable", "Women in Rugby", "Iran", "India", "Womens Rugby", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=5492", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2019/03/07/nahid-biyarjomandi-iran-rugby/", "title": "Nahid Biyarjomandi: Iranian girls can be role models for the world", "content_html": "

Iran is not the first country many think of when it comes to rugby but, thanks to the work of some inspirational women, that is fast changing.

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\"\"

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Nahid Biyarjomandi, Head of Women\u2019s Development in Iran, has been working on the growth and development of the sport for women in her country with an understanding of the importance it offers.

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As part of the celebrations for this year\u2019s International Women\u2019s Day, Asia Rugby spoke with Biyarjomandi to look at how Iran are developing rugby in Iran.

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\u201cIn the past year, Iran Rugby has had Impressive success, which reflects the efforts of the entire Iranian rugby family, such as players, coaches, referees and all our colleagues in all provinces,\u201d said Biyarjomandi.

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\"\"

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\u201cThose who love rugby and try to create a better quality of life through sport are working tirelessly.

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\u201cThis year, the rugby development of Iran reached was third in Asia and fifth in the world and in the end, the Women’s Rugby Development Committee of Iran is in the running for the best development committee of Asia in 2018.\u201d

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\"Iran
Iran Rugby won the Women\u2019s Rugby Development Award 2018
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With the numbers of participants taking part in Get Into Rugby activations in Iran and the success of its development, Biyarjomandi\u2019s work has been endorsed by the Asia Rugby President Aga Hussan as there are now more coaches and referees than ever before.

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\u201cThis year, like in recent years in Iran, we held a national championship for U15s, U18s and senior 7s and fifteens,\u201d added Biyarjomandi.

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\u201cWe are trying to find talent for the national teams for both men and women and we are proud to hold a 15-a-side women\u2019s rugby national tournament with four new teams this year.

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\u201cAnd we are still continuing to introduce rugby through our development officers in most provinces of Iran.\u201d

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\u201cIranian girls are talented, and the sport, especially rugby with its values can empower their minds to follow their dreams on and off the field,\u201d explained Biyarjomandi.

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\u201cAnd I’m sure that each of our girls can be a role model for their own country and other countries. All female tournaments in Iran are led by women, match officials, referees, coaches, assistant coaches and we also have female educators for domestic courses and female development committees for our GIR programs.

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\u201cWe are all from a family called Rugby with the motto \u201cRugby building characters since 1823\u201d.

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The post Nahid Biyarjomandi: Iranian girls can be role models for the world appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "Iran is not the first country many think of when it comes to rugby but, thanks to the work of some inspirational women, that is fast changing.\n\nNahid Biyarjomandi, Head of Women\u2019s Development in Iran, has been working on the growth and development of the sport for women in her country with an understanding of the importance it offers.\nAs part of the celebrations for this year\u2019s International Women\u2019s Day, Asia Rugby spoke with Biyarjomandi to look at how Iran are developing rugby in Iran.\n\u201cIn the past year, Iran Rugby has had Impressive success, which reflects the efforts of the entire Iranian rugby family, such as players, coaches, referees and all our colleagues in all provinces,\u201d said Biyarjomandi.\n\n\u201cThose who love rugby and try to create a better quality of life through sport are working tirelessly.\n\u201cThis year, the rugby development of Iran reached was third in Asia and fifth in the world and in the end, the Women’s Rugby Development Committee of Iran is in the running for the best development committee of Asia in 2018.\u201d\nIran Rugby won the Women\u2019s Rugby Development Award 2018\nWith the numbers of participants taking part in Get Into Rugby activations in Iran and the success of its development, Biyarjomandi\u2019s work has been endorsed by the Asia Rugby President Aga Hussan as there are now more coaches and referees than ever before.\n\u201cThis year, like in recent years in Iran, we held a national championship for U15s, U18s and senior 7s and fifteens,\u201d added Biyarjomandi.\n\u201cWe are trying to find talent for the national teams for both men and women and we are proud to hold a 15-a-side women\u2019s rugby national tournament with four new teams this year.\n\u201cAnd we are still continuing to introduce rugby through our development officers in most provinces of Iran.\u201d\n\u201cIranian girls are talented, and the sport, especially rugby with its values can empower their minds to follow their dreams on and off the field,\u201d explained Biyarjomandi.\n\u201cAnd I’m sure that each of our girls can be a role model for their own country and other countries. All female tournaments in Iran are led by women, match officials, referees, coaches, assistant coaches and we also have female educators for domestic courses and female development committees for our GIR programs.\n\u201cWe are all from a family called Rugby with the motto \u201cRugby building characters since 1823\u201d.\nThe post Nahid Biyarjomandi: Iranian girls can be role models for the world appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2019-03-07T09:44:10+08:00", "date_modified": "2019-05-29T07:55:46+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Head-Iran.jpg", "tags": [ "Iran", "International Women\u2019s Day 2019", "Womens Rugby", "News" ] } ] }