AUC Rugby Team Gear Up for International Tournaments
By: Ahmed Zada
The Athletics Office has announced that the AUC Rugby Team will take part in championships in Barcelona later this month.
Head Coach of the AUC rugby team Ahmed Al-Nakah is currently supervising practice rounds in preparation for the upcoming championship.
“The team is training three times a week. Everyone is training very seriously to represent [AUC] in international competitions and achieve an advanced position,” Nakah told The Caravan.
Al-Nakah is looking to increase the team’s skills in the upcoming competitions, which will pit AUC’s finest against teams of the highest caliber in the region.
“Last season, many friendly matches were played before participating in the American University in Beirut’s 100th anniversary competition, where we won second place,” Nakah added.
However, the competition in Beirut also highlighted the shortage in the funding of AUC teams.
Concerns about AUC’s full financial support of competitive team sports have increased over the past year.
For example, the rowing and rugby teams have recently had to book their own spaces, buy jerseys and equipment, as well as pay coaches themselves due to deficits in the budget.
The introduction of sports academies at AUC were intended to increase revenue for sports facilities, but the rugby team did not receive support throughout the training process.
The training process this year was similarly difficult for the team, who had to practice without much institutional support from AUC.
“The other team members and I had to find our own transportation, book practice fields and use our own equipment,” business senior Mahmoud Nagy, who plays in the wing position on the AUC team and the national squad, told The Caravan.
The team also encountered difficulty finding special clothes and equipment that are not available in Egypt, Al-Nakah said.
Meanwhile, Athletics Director Louise Bertini said that her office will continue supporting sports teams in AUC.
“We try to make the best out of the budget available to help teams travel once a year by carrying 50 percent of the total cost of travel, since the Athletics Office strongly believes in the concept of participating in international tournaments,” Bertini said.
Despite the hurdles, AUC’S finest athletes continue to do well nationally and regionally.
The national squad, which includes Nagy and four AUC alumni, won second place at the third annual Arab Rugby 7S Series in Amman, Jordan last month.
“We trained every weekend, twice a day in Alexandria, but the trainings themselves had a few obstacles,” business senior Nagy said.
Nagy is now preparing for the upcoming Barcelona competition – known as the 3rd World InterUniversities Championship, which kicks off on November 16 and involves other sports in addition to rugby.
