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The addition of Rugby Sevens in the Olympics may fast forward the restructuring process of rugby in the Arabian Gulf with the infant UAE Rugby Association (UAERA) already planning to field a team comprising Emiratis at next year's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

"It is a very good step for the future of the sport and gives nations with potential in other sports the chance to win a gold medal," said Salman Hadi, General Secretary of the UAERA on the International Olympic Committee's decision to include Sevens Rugby at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"It had to happen because Rugby Sevens is set to make its debut at the Asian Games next year," he said. "We won't have to wait till the Olympics Games in 2016 to field a rugby team comprising UAE nationals."

The UAE rugby board headed by Mohammed Abdulrahman Falakhnaz is already accredited with the country's Ministry of Youth and Sports. "Our next step is to get into the National Olympic Committee and also the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU)," said Hadi speaking to the Khaleej Times. "It is a great development for UAE national rugby."

"We got about 50-60 Emiratis and we hope to go on a promotional drive in schools to educate teachers about the sport of rugby. We want to change the sentiment that rugby is a violent sport and encourage more Emiratis to play the game," said Hadi who said they would be running the domestic tournaments from June next year. Hadi said there are two Emirati clubs — Al Ahli and Dubai Rugby Club — among the 11 affiliates in the UAERA which includes all the UAE-based rugby clubs such as Dubai Exiles. Faisal Al Zarooni (Vice-chairman), Qais Al Dhalai (Vice General Secretary), Saeed Al Nuamei (Treasurer), Saud Shalat, Ali Al Ali and Wael Al Sayegh are the other members of the board of the UAE rugby body.

The UAERA is to be admitted as an Associate member of the Asian rugby body in December and a year later in the International Rugby Board.

IRB's West Asia Project Officer Matthey Oakley who is tasked with overseeing the restructuring of the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union described the Olympic decision as "momentous". "It's good for the global growth of the game. We look forward to seeing UAE fielding a team of Emirati nationals in the Olympics," he said.

Oakley, who is co-ordinating the process of change with the AGRFU and UAERA, said he was also in discussions with the IRB separately for the Arabian Gulf to field teams in tournaments other than the Asian Games and Olympics as long as players meet the eligibility criteria of a three-year residency rule.

Gulf rugby veteran Mark Gathercole of Dubai Exiles said the Olympic decision is a recognition of IRB's efforts to globalise the sport of Rugby Sevens. "The IRB has been trying to globalise the sport for the last many years with the IRB World Sevens Series. They have done a good job with that. Now that it has been included in the Olympics, it is going to get far more world coverage. There is going to be so much more exposure for the game of Sevens," he said. "It will be good for Dubai because more people are going to see it in the Olympics and relating to the Sevens tournaments played all year in the Sevens Series. It will be good for UAE because we've got lot of UAE nationals playing for Dubai Exiles.”

The head coach of Arabian Gulf Bruce Birtwistle said "it's wonderful for rugby" especially from the Arabian Gulf perspective because only the Emiratis will be eligible to play.

Mohammed Hassan who made history last season by becoming the first UAE National to represent the Arabian Gulf Senior team, was delighted at rugby joining the Olympic family. He represented the Arabian Gulf at the Singapore Sevens and a three-nation tournament at home. "Rugby will become even more popular and bigger when it is seen in the Olympics," said the Dubai Exiles player who is recuperating from injury and hopes to be back in training in January.

(Source: GAGOC)