The President of Rugby Africa, Abdelaziz Bougja, ‘chooses’ Morocco to host the handover of his function
He took the opportunity to formalise the appointment of Nasser Bougja, brother of the president of Rugby Africa, as the representative of Morocco on the executive committee
CASABLANCA, Morocco, February 22, 2019/APO Group/ --
The president of Rugby Africa (www. RugbyAfrique.com) (formerly the Confederation), Abdelaziz Bougja, said on Wednesday evening in Casablanca, that he symbolically chose his own country, Morocco, to hand over the reins of the pan-African organisation after 17 years of service at its head, on the occasion of the elective assembly scheduled for the 2ndMarch in Marrakech.
The choice of Morocco was prompted by several considerations, including ‘an effort to strengthen the links between the various entities of national rugby and to ensure their stability and progress, while consolidating relationships between the African fraternity’, the former president of the Royal Moroccan Rugby Federation (FRMR) explained during a press conference.
The next general assembly will feature the presence of eminent international sporting figures and former presidents of the FRMR, added Bougja, who has directed Rugby Africa for the past 17 years.
He said he was ‘proud’ of what he has accomplished at the head of the continental confederation through ‘work and perseverance’, in particular the focus on ‘transparency and credibility’, the increased training sessions (coaches, referees, doctors and managers) and the increase in the number of players to 1 million.
‘Throughout these 17 years, Rugby Africa has never experienced a budget deficit, on the contrary, it has mainly shown surpluses,’ he said, adding that the budget of the organisation has increased from 80 thousand to $ 3 million.
FRMR President, Taher Boujouala is delighted that the 13th Elective General Assembly of Rugby Africa will be held in the Kingdom, considering this to be ‘a matter of great satisfaction for Moroccans and an affirmation of the policy of openness and cooperation on the continent.’
He took the opportunity to formalise the appointment of Nasser Bougja, brother of the president of Rugby Africa, as the representative of Morocco on the executive committee, in light of his ‘experience and level of responsibility as well as his ability to defend Morocco’s honour.’
In advance of the elective assembly scheduled for the 2
ndMarch, the city of Marrakech will host, over three days, meetings of the Executive Committee of Rugby Africa, training sessions and a extraordinary general meeting.
The international and Moroccan media are invited to cover the event on March 2nd at the Adam Park Hotel, Marrakech and to send their accreditation requests to the following address:
rugby@apo-opa.org.
An online press conference will be held on Friday the 28th of February at 4pm (Morocco local time). All interested media are welcome to sign up to participate by clicking on this link:
https://bit.ly/2S5t0u9.
Download the booklet: “The Incredible Rise of African Rugby” (available only in English):
www.bit.ly/2oYs0XW.
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About Rugby Africa:
Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) is the governing body of rugby in Africa and one of the regional associations under World Rugby. It unites all African countries that play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes various competitions, including the qualifying tournaments for the Rugby World Cup and the Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. With 39 member unions, Rugby Africa is dedicated to promoting and developing rugby across the continent. World Rugby highlighted Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia as three of the six emerging nations experiencing strong growth in rugby.
