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Rugby union was first introduced into Lebanon both by the mandated French forces, and subsequently by the Lebanese returning from the diaspora. Introduced into many other parts of the Middle East, by the British military in the mid 20th Century, rugby has begun to develop across the Arabian peninsula with the establishment of many national rugby federations and the development of the Dubai Sevens, which has helped generate interest in the sport in Arabic-speaking nations. Formally, rugby union in Lebanon has been played since the inception of the Beirut Phoenicians Rugby Union Club in 1995 at the request of the British Consulate. The Club was formed in order to play visiting teams from British War ships. The Beirut Phoenicians Rugby Union Club represented Lebanon as the only rugby union club in both locally played matches and International tournaments for a number of years. Rugby union is quite popular in neighbouring Israel, but the hostility between the two nations means that there is no real sporting contact between them. In 2009, the Lebanese Rugby Union Federation was established with the intention of developing the game at a local level and representing Lebanon on the international rugby scene. The Federation was formed by representatives of the Beirut Phoenicians, Ahed/Reay, Jamhour Black Lions and Grey Wolves Rugby Clubs. In 2013, the Jounieh Rugby Club was formed and applied to join the LRUF. During this period the Lebanese Rugby Union Federation was recognised as a member of the Asian Rugby Federation Union. In recent seasons the Senior Lebanese National Rugby Union team, the "Phoenix" has demonstrated its improving development through successful tournament victories in 2012 - 2013 international season winning the Asian Five Nations Division 4 tournament to advance in 2013 to the 3rd Division of the Asian Five Nations Competition. ==The Current State of Lebanese Rugby Union== The Lebanese Rugby Union Federation at the present time is made up of five teams, which play in the Total Lebanese Club Championship including, * The Gemmayze Green Gaurs * The Beirut Phoenicians * The Ahed/Reay, * The Beirut Grey Wolves, * The Jamhour Black Lions * The Jounieh Spartans It is from these clubs that players are selected to play for the Lebanese National team, which is often supplemented by expatriate Lebanese players from nations with large Lebanese expatriate communities with an interest in Rugby such as England and Australia. The Lebanese National team competes in the Asian Rugby Federation Union competition and is very competitive regionally. The Lebanese National team, the "Phoenix" recently won a Middle Eastern 7s tournament in Dubai and the Asian Five Nations Division 4 tournament against Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Laos to advance to the 3rd Division in the 2013 – 2014 season. While the fortunes of the Lebanese Rugby Union Federation have been on the rise in recent seasons the Federation continues to receive very little in the way of funding and relies heavily on intermittent sponsorship. The Lebanese Ministry of Youth and Sport provides the Lebanese Rugby Union Federation with a minimal amount of funding yet this pales in comparison with the generous allowances provided annually by other Arab nations to their Rugby Union Federations. There is a great deal of potential for rugby union to be successful both in Lebanon and internationally. In order to achieve this potential there needs to be an expansion of the current domestic club competition and a greater emphasis on the development of the game at a junior and schools level. Rugby union promises to be an excellent way to provide opportunities for Lebanese youth to focus their energies on positive life affirming team activities. Yet with the limited playing pitches and funding, rugby union in Lebanon will remain a limited sport and will take many years if not decades to develop. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rugby union in Lebanon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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