World Rugby Sevens Tournament Dir Douglas Langley said that Dubai, the first leg of the 10-stage World Rugby Sevens Series, "is the perfect place to pick up from where rugby sevens left off after its Olympic debut this summer," according to Ashley Hammond of the GULF NEWS. The sport has 16.83 million new fans since Rio 2016, "propelling it to 300 million fans worldwide, according to a study from Nielsen Sports." The study found that out of all the Olympic sports this summer, rugby "got the biggest lift from its involvement (in terms of new fans)" with a 4% increase. The "trick now is to maintain that," and Langley said Dubai was the "best place to build upon this growth." He said, "Dubai is the linchpin going forward in terms of capitalizing on the success of the Olympics. To hold these new fans we need to keep innovating and developing our delivery to spectators and viewers, while improving the playing environment for teams so that they can perform to the best of their abilities" (GULF NEWS, 11/29).
WOMEN'S RUGBY: In a separate piece, Hammond reported Asia Rugby and UAE Rugby Federation General Secretary Qais Al Dhalai said that the UAE "can be a regional leader in women's rugby" after selecting a first all-Emirati women's team for the Dubai Rugby Sevens. The UAE women's side will play in the inaugural six-team U18 Girls Int'l Sevens Tournament. Al Dhalai has "hopes to make the tournament an annual occasion while expanding it to more teams throughout Asia," with neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council countries "hopefully following the UAE’s lead and setting up their own sides." He said, "We are already heading towards being one of the leaders in men's rugby regionally and throughout Asia, and now we are looking to do the same in women's rugby too" (GULF NEWS, 11/29).
