IRB Gives Uzbekistan Rugby Federation Full Member Status

May 16, 2014

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced the Uzbekistan Rugby Federation (URF) as a Full Member Union after IRB Council approved its application at the annual meeting in Dublin on Wednesday.

The URF became an Associate Member of the IRB in November 2004 and is already a Full Member of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU), regularly taking part in regional events and council meetings. In addition, the URF is recognised by its National Olympic Committee.

The IRB is committed to the development of Rugby in Asia and this is another step forward for the Game in that part of the world as Uzbekistan is regarded as a country with huge potential for further growth.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Uzbekistan as a Full Member of the IRB. Rugby is experiencing unprecedented global growth and interest with more than 6.6 million men, women and children playing the Game. Today’s announcement certainly underlines Rugby’s ability to reach out to new communities and countries in every region.”

“As home to 60 per cent of the world’s young people, Asia is a strategically important region for the IRB. Working in collaboration with ARFU we are currently investing more than US$3 million annually in development, high performance and tournament programmes across the region and we will ensure that Uzbekistan has the structures in place to flourish and grow on the world stage.”