Assam Rugby Team to Lead With 1 Boy & 6 Girls In Junior National Rugby Championship 2021

Guwahati: In a landmark moment for the state of Assam, 7 rugby players (Under-18) hailing from the state have been selected to contest in the Junior National Rugby Championship 2021.

They are set to represent the Assam Rugby Team in the upcoming tournament.

A rugby training and selection camp was held at the Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati from November 24 to November 28. A total of 4 boys and 8 girls from the Bajali Rugby Team took part in this training camp.

1 boy and 6 girls got picked by the selectors for the Assam Rugby Team. The Junior National Rugby Championship 2021 will take place in KIIT University, Bhubaneshwar. 

Jesmina Begum, Riya Talukdar, Gitanjali Roy, Sumi Kakati, Sikha Das, Garima Roy and Dhanmani Kakati are the names of the rugby athletes who were selected and this team will be led by Jesmina Begum.

Bajali Rugby Association's general secretary Khanin Roy is currently coaching the Bajali Rugby Team and has praised this great achievement. "It is a proud moment for Bajali that the state players will play under the captainship of Jesmina Begum. It is indeed a great contribution to women's empowerment," he said in a statement.

Most of the athletes who have been selected belong to humble backgrounds. They reside in small villages and are very hardworking and dedicated so much so that they travel around 10-12 km by cycle every day to reach Bajali Higher Secondary School playground for practice.

It is truly an inspiring story and should motivate future generations to work hard to achieve their dreams.

In February 2021, the Rugby Association of Bajali came into existence and in the next month, a three-day camp was organized by the newly formed association with the help of the Assam Rugby Association.

It is astonishing to note that prior to the formation of the Rugby Association of Bajali, there was no rugby training for girls in Assam meaning that the Rugby Association of Bajali was the first to provide this service.

To popularize the game of Rugby and create and spread awareness throughout Assam is the primary aim of the Rugby Association of Bajali. The news of the rugby players getting selected for the Championships would hopefully help the cause. 

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