| James Kon |
A DEDICATED venue for rugby and government endorsement for rugby events were among the agendas discussed during President of Asia Rugby, Aga Hussain’s meeting with officials from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) yesterday.
Aga Hussain, who was elected as the President of Asia Rugby last November, was on an official visit to Brunei Darussalam from March 18 – 20 to look at the progress of rugby in the country and meet with local officials to elevate the sport to new heights.
Aga Hussain also visited the training ground of the Brunei rugby team and saw the condition of the training venue. The team had been training in the dark with limited visibility.
“I went to see the national team training for the Asia Rugby Championship Division 3 (East) which takes place in Brunei from May 6 – 12. Guam, Laos and Brunei will compete for the championship,” said Aga Hussain, in an interview with the Bulletin.
“There were some 30 people training and I was encouraged to see the team training at 7.30pm in the dark. There were only two bulbs in one tower and two bulbs in the other towers at the venue. I saw that the players were enthusiastic and willing to train in the dark.”
Speaking on the meeting with officials from the MCYS, he said, “The officials are supportive of providing rugby in Brunei a dedicated venue to flourish. The ministry also showed interest of hosting international rugby games.
“I have been to many places before and I saw the facilities here, they are outstanding. But we also need endorsement from the government,” he added.