Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The creation of a European Rugby Team and its participation in the Parliamentary World Cup has been announced.
“This is historic. For the first time, a team representing the whole of the European Union is officially registered in an international competition”, said Members of the European Parliament Anne-Sophie Pelletier and Eric Andrieu, the team’s co-presidents.
“Rugby is a sport of values and principles: fair play, of course, but also integrity, passion, team spirit, solidarity, and respect”, added the two members.
Also speaking at the launch, Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament and supporter of the team, said: “This is a real opportunity to build bridges between parliamentarians from all over the world. Sport is a universal language, and it can be a powerful tool to promote European values, such as tolerance, understanding, and solidarity by bringing people together across borders and cultures”.
Between 31 August and 8 September, World Rugby and the French Parliament team will organize the Parliamentary Rugby World Cup in France.
This will precede the Rugby World Cup which will be held in France in September/October.
A dozen national parliamentary teams from around the world will compete. Parliamentarians from France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, and the European Union will compete in this international tournament.
The EU team is made up of Members of the European Parliament, members of their staff, and representatives of the three institutions: the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Council of the European Union. The team is mixed, made up of both women and men, and the players represent over 15 different nationalities.
The Parliamentary World Cup will be an event for a good cause since the profits from all the matches will go to charity.
At this stage, here is the provisional calendar of our activities
– 18 March 2023 – Parliamentary 6 Nations Match against the French Parliamentary XV
– 22 to 27 May – Photo exhibition at the European Parliament – Rugby, United in Diversity
– 8 June – European Parliament Rugby Team Annual Conference
– 24 June – Gala match against the Japanese Diplomatic Rugby Team
– 31 August – 8 September – Parliamentary Rugby World Cup in the South of France and Paris
