After an immensely successful inaugural tournament last
year the ICBT Inter-Campus Rugby Sevens 2019 is set to kick-off once again.
This year's tournament expands on the previous year's achievements and will
involve 12 university rugby teams battling it out for the coveted
inter-university title. The ICBT Inter-Campus Rugby 7s is intended to give
students another dimension to their university education, by supplementing
traditional education with the skills, values, and character that are essential
for moulding a well-rounded, self-assured individual. With this view, the ICBT
Inter-Campus Rugby 7s has been planned as an annual tournament and due to its
immense popularity is set to become the flagship inter-university rugby
tournament in Sri Lanka.
This year's event is estimated to attract over a thousand
young spectators comprising students from both the private and state
universities. The tournament has also garnered plenty of attention at the
school level and also from the fraternity of rugby fans on the island. In
addition to the main event, there will also be plenty of other activates,
including fun, games, and entertainment throughout the tournament. This will
ensure that there is something exciting for everyone who comes to support their
favourite team, win or lose.
Speaking at the gathering, Dr. Jagath Alwis,
Chairman of ICBT emphasized the importance of extracurricular activates
for the development of a complete and well-balanced student. He also spoke of
how sports has been proven to improve overall academic performance while
cultivating a variety of essential skills and instilling values of
determination, teamwork, and discipline. Dr. Jagath also spoke of
aspirations to eventually turn the journey into an international event, where
universities from overseas would also be represented.
The 12 teams in the tournament will compete for 3
championships - Cup, Plate, and Bowl. The 12 teams will initially be divided
into 4 groups which will battle it out in the group stages. The top two teams
of each group will then progress to the Cup Quarter-Finals and the bottom team
will progress to the Bowl Semi-Finals. The losers of the Cup Quarter-Finals
will progress to Plate Semi-Finals while winners move on to Cup Semi-Finals and
eventually the Cup Finals. The tournament will be held according to IRB
Regulations and will be officiated by referees from SLRFU, with winning teams
receiving impressive cash prizes and the coveted trophy.
Lasitha Gunaratne, Chairman, Sri Lanka Rugby Union praised
the intentions and spirit of the event saying "It is heartwarming to see an
interest in Rugby at this level. These efforts will no doubt pay dividends for
the future of Rugby on the island, by grooming talented young players, who one
day might have the opportunity to pursue their passion for the game at the
highest level and play for Sri Lanka".
ICBT officials have appointed Mr. Dilroy Fernando, former
referee and a distinguished stalwart of Sri Lankan rugby as the tournament
Director. Speaking to the media, Mr. Fernando praised ICBT for taking this
initiative and stressed on the fact that Sri Lanka is lacking tournaments of
this kind. He also stressed that events such as these were essential if rugby
was to grow as a sport so that we might be well represented and competitive on
a world stage.
The International College of Business and Technology (ICBT
Campus), established in 1999, is the leading private higher education provider
in Sri Lanka. ICBT offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs in
association with Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK, University of Sunderland,
UK, Birmingham City University, UK and Liverpool John Moores University, UK and
RMIT Australia
©2018 - SRI LANKA RUGBY - All Rights Reserved
Site by www.stats.lk