Mongolia becomes a full member of World Rugby
The World Rugby Council has approved the recommendation of the Executive Committee and Regional Committee to elevate the Mongolian Rugby Football Federation (MRFU) to full member status, continuing the sport’s global expansion to 128 members in six regions.
The MRFU was established in 2003 following its initiation by one of Mongolia’s famous wrestlers, Mr. Tserenpuntsag Tsedendamba, who is now a member of the Mongolian Parliament. The union became an associate member of the international federation in November 2004 and now fulfills the governance criteria necessary to obtain full member status of World Rugby.
Mongolian rugby started with casual social matches between locals and expats has become one of the most exciting new team sports in the country.
Michael Leitch Scholarship for a Young Mongolian Boy
In a country where the temperature can vary from -35 to +35 degrees throughout the year and where the capital Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the world, developing an outdoor team sport is a challenge. difficult and unique.
While Mongolian sports culture is mainly based on individual sports such as wrestling, judo, boxing, archery and others, Mongolian team sports are beginning to flourish and achieve success with access increased to facilities and infrastructure.
The MRFU has achieved many milestones in recent years winning the Asian Rugby Championship Division 4 in 2014 and finishing fourth in the 2019 Asia Sevens Trophy. Rugby has been included in the sports program of the Mongolian Armed Forces since 2018.
The MRFU now organizes successful and competitive national and age category championship tournaments, which attract young players and future players, while World Rugby’s “Get Into Rugby” program has also been successful in attracting new players from rugby with over 7,000 participants by 2016. The union has a Rugby Development Program 2021-2025 in place which aims to double the number of female players and coaches over the next four years. In 2021, rugby lessons began to be piloted in schools with the aim of including rugby in the mid-term secondary PE curriculum.
The MRFU is now striving to maintain the level of growth and reach the entire population in the rural areas of the country. Despite the harsh climatic conditions, rugby is a good choice for Mongolians due to the people’s way of life and passion for physical sports like wrestling.
Michael Leitch Scholarship for a Young Mongolian Boy
The 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, the first to be held in Asia, broke fan engagement records and raised the profile of rugby on the world’s youngest and most populous continent. After the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the spotlight was on Asian rugby and Japanese captain Michael Leitch was impressed during his visit to Mongolia ahead of RWC 2019: “I believe that with the experience of the sport and in history, the Mongols can become great athletes. to rugby,” Leitch said.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are delighted to welcome the Mongolian Rugby Federation to full member status today. The union has made great strides in a relatively short period of time and reflects the continued ripple effect of bringing our flagship event, the Rugby World Cup, to Asia for the first time in 2019.
“The sustainable global growth of our sport combined with strong governance is a key priority and we are committed to increasing the breadth and diversity of the global game. The progress made in countries like Mongolia is a great tribute to the many talented coaches, administrators and volunteers involved in growing the sport in all regions. As a full member of the World Rugby family, we will provide them with continued support and a strong framework to further accelerate the growth of rugby in Mongolia.
MRFU President, Mr. Batbayar Purevjargal said, “As a Union, we are delighted to have reached this very important milestone in the history of our Union’s development by today becoming a full member. of World Rugby, especially in these trying times, which is a great testament to our Union. staff, management team and all participants for their commitment and hard work over the years.
“Although traditionally as a nation we have been renowned for our achievements in individual sports, we believe that rugby can lead Mongolia to become a true nation of team sports. The MRFU is committed to developing rugby grassroots level and to make rugby accessible to everyone in Mongolia with the long-term goal of sustainable development and becoming one of Asia’s top rugby nations.
“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone at World Rugby and Asia Rugby for their support and especially to all of our players, supporters and rugby enthusiasts in Mongolia for reaching this milestone. We look forward to spreading the philosophy of rugby in Mongolia and to be a force for rugby on the international stage.