Grenada Rugby World 7s Tournament Returns for its Second Year
Rugby was a regular fixture within my childhood, not as a player, but as a supporter regularly attending those matches played by my siblings. It therefore felt fitting that, on a trip to Grenada – a country that would be visited often as a child, a rugby world tournament was also taking place! The Grenada Rugby World 7s is, therefore, a highly anticipated event from our perspective.
The Grenada Rugby World 7s will take place in Grenada for the second year running over 1 and 2 December 2023 at the Kirani James Stadium. As an annual tournament featuring teams from around the world, it is a welcomed feature within Grenada’s calendar of sporting activities which attracts attention internationally.
Photo by: Haron Forteau Media
However, the tournament’s origins were within a different Caribbean island and occurred in Trinidad within the 1980s. The focus of the tournament during such time was to showcase a competition between local and regional players. Until 2010, this remained the structure for the tournament but thus was rebranded thereafter as the ‘Rugby Barbados World 7s’.
The tournament’s success in Barbados led to a revitalisation of the sport for the island. So much so, that the tournament was recognised abroad and took place at Kensington Oval, in Barbados, during 2018/2019.
The relocation of the tournament to Grenada, with the involvement of the Grenada Rugby Union, thus appears to be a strategic collaboration for all. The Grenada Rugby World 7s appears to combine effortlessly culture and tourism to provide an exciting schedule that also comprises pre and post tournament social events.
We were able to attend the pre festival $1 wings event at the Coconut Beach restaurant. It is unsurprising that you pay one Eastern Caribbean dollar for a chicken wing and can therefore have as little or as much as you choose. There are different flavours available including spicy and mango and pineapple to appeal to many taste buds. The spicy wings were particularly flavoursome without being excessively fiery. The restaurant is also situated directly on the beach and has a good ambience to create those pre-festival vibes.
For the first day of the tournament, there will be games playing from 9am-5pm with the opening ceremony occurring that morning. The men’s and women’s teams from the UK (FRN), US (Atlantis), Canada (Rugby Quebec), Guyana, Grenada (Grenada Greenz) and other countries will compete for the USD 20,000 prize to be awarded at the prize giving ceremony on Saturday 2 December.
In between the two match days are beach karaoke nights, fashion shows and food events on Grand Anse Beach to mingle with the teams and rugby enthusiasts alike. The tournament promises to be a fun event to enjoy with family and friends or as a different form of sightseeing to discover the delights of the island of Grenada.
RCG Media Vision & the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA)
The full list of the game fixtures for the tournament and tickets information can be located here.
The trailer for the Grenada Rugby World 7s event is here
Coverage of the games on the respective days can also be viewed on YouTube at the below links:
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