Watch: Gay rugby teams train together ahead of Bingham Cup
Despite rainy weather, members of gay rugby teams from across the globe got stuck into a huge training session ahead of the Bingham Cup in Sydney.
The Bingham Cup, which begins in Sydney this Friday, is a tournament of intense rugby with 24 teams playing 6 games over three days. Almost 1000 players and supporters representing 30 gay and inclusive rugby clubs from 15 countries will be in Australia for the Biennial event, named after 9/11 hero Mark Bingham.
Andrew Blades was a successful Australian player and is the current assistant coach of the national team, the Wallabies.
He helped organise the training session. “We wanted to give them all drills and skills they can take away with them and practice in the future as they go forward with their rugby careers. We want everyone to feel like they’ve got a place in rugby, you don’t want anyone to feel like they’re excluded. I hope that over time players in this tournament will feel like that they can play on any team.”
The event is one of the largest 15-a-side rugby tournaments in the world. While most participants are gay, in the spirit of inclusivity, many teams also field straight players.
The Bingham Cup is currently held by the event hosts, the Sydney Convicts. However, one of the strong contenders to win the cup when the games begin is London’s Kings Cross Steelers, the world’s first gay rugby team.
The event is free to stream live at the Bingham Cup website.
