Harpal Singh Bedi

New Delhi: The sport of Rugby in India received a huge boost with  worldwide partners of World Rugby, Capgemini announcing  its partnership with the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) on Wednesday. 

In a first for Capgemini India, they will support the development of  Rugby 7s men’s, women’s, boys and girls teams. This announcement marks yet another step in Capgemini’s rugby story and its commitment towards promoting the agenda of diversity and inclusion through sports.

Commenting on the partnership, Rugby India president Rahul Bose said: “The story of the growth of Rugby as a sport in India is a story of diversity and inclusion. Today our women’s program is as strong as men’s, our outreach to tribal youth in different parts of the country is as deep as in non-tribal areas. Our commitment to spreading the sport amongst underprivileged populations is as sharp as it is to those who live in more fortunate circumstances.

With a new board having taken over reins of the sport, Rugby is on a fast track of growth and development and global success will surely follow, according to IRFU President Rahul Bose. He said, “Over the last decade the sport has seen a major rise in following and participation and Rugby India has been instrumental in garnering this interest across the country. There has been a significant growth and increase in participation numbers and currently over 150 Rugby Clubs, 2000+ Schools & Universities and100000+ players are playing across 350+ Districts in 27 States & Union Territories in India,” he added.

Conceding the fact that the Indian teams need more “playtime”, l Bose said besides ensuring participation in all official tournaments, the IRFU was preparing to gold bilateral series with other rugby playing nations in Asia to ensure that the men’s and women’s players get maximum exposure and experience of playing at a highly competitive level.

 Besides the monetary assistance to IRFU, Capgemeni will also help strengthen the digital presence of the sport, improve spectator and fan involvement and provide the bandwidth to ensure the sport has a wide outreach.

 CEO of Capgemini in India  Ashwin Yardi opined, Besides the monetary assistance to IRFU, Capgemeni will also help strengthen the digital presence of the sport, improve spectator and fan involvement and provide the bandwidth to ensure the sport has a wide outreach.  

 “At Capgemini the principles of diversity and inclusion are a source of creativity, innovation, and inspiration for us. To further strengthen our commitment, we are delighted to partner with IRFU on Rugby 7s as this marks a new chapter in our association with Rugby and our first entry into sports in India. 

HSB