By Gary Anderson

The Uzbekistan Rugby Federation has been accepted as a full member union of the International Rugby Board ©URFUzbekistan have been announced as the 102nd full member union of the International Rugby Board (IRB).

The decision was taken during meeting of the IRB Council at the governing body's headquarters in Dublin.

The Uzbekistan Rugby Federation (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 the Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee.

"We are delighted to be welcoming Uzbekistan as a full member of the IRB," said IRB chairman, Bernard Lapasset.

"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."

The URF is described by the IRB as a well-structured organisation with dedicated administrators and has huge potential for growth.

There are around 350 active adult players and 250 youth players in Uzbekistan which also runs a domestic fifteens club competition while the national fifteens team currently plays in the Asian 5 Nations competition.

Uzbekistan's national fifteens side competes in the Asian 5 nations Division III competition ©AFP/Getty ImagesUzbekistan's national fifteens side competes in the Asian 5 nations Division III competition ©AFP/Getty Images




With the inclusion of Uzbekistan, there are now 17 full member unions in Asia, along with six associate members, as the IRB continues to target the growth and popularity of rugby in Asia in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.

"As home to 60 per cent of the world's young people, Asia is a strategically important region for the IRB," added Lapasset.

"Working in collaboration with ARFU we are currently investing more than $3 million (£1.8 million/€2.2 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.

In addition, the IRB also announced that Costa Rica has been welcomed as an associate member, becoming the first member union from Central America.

The Costa Rica Rugby Federation (FRCR) has been a member of the South America Rugby Confederation (CONSUR) since 2011 and last year hosted the CONSUR C Championship, which saw its own national side taking part.

The FRCR has submitted an application for recognition to the Costa Rican National Olympic Committee, which is contingent on IRB membership.

Contact the writer of this at [email protected]


Related Stories
May 2014: IEC in Sports signs media rights deals to boost rugby in Asia
February 2014: IRB delegation visits Japan to assess preparations for Rugby World Cup 2019
August 2013: Japan "excited about the opportunity" to be hosting 2019 Rugby World Cup
January 2013: Japan reveals selection process for 2019 Rugby World Cup