Touch Rugby tourney back at the Coast

Touch Rugby, Kenya's premier beach event is back and rugby
lovers around the world will make their annual pilgrimage to watch a spectacle
that has become popular for being the perfect cocktail of Touch Rugby and
entertainment.
The 2022 edition of the South Coast Fives kicked off in style
on Friday at the Safari Beach Hotel in Diani, Kwale County. The annual 3-day
sporting festival returns to the shores of Kenya's finest beach for the weekend
of July 22-24.
The South Coast Fives is supported by the Federation of
International Touch (FIT)-Kenya, a representative of the international
governing body for the sport of Touch. FIT-Kenya does a lot of work with
development, coaching, and refereeing of the sport in the country.
Speaking to Citizen
Digital, Elam Muniafu who is the Senior Development Officer at FIT-Kenya
explained his excitement at the return of the event.
"I am hoping that the best comes out of this
tournament. Teams are so far giving one hundred percent and playing very good
touch rugby. Generally, we would like to see it running for a lot more
years."
With the standards of the sport getting higher, the
popularity of Touch Rugby has grown through the years. This year's edition will
see a total of 24 domestic and international outfits with women, junior and
school outfits all taking part.
For three days, the resort town of Diani will see an influx
of over 2,000 visitors and for a town that has tourism as one of its major
lifelines, the tournament could not have come at a better time.
Prudence Waithera who is the Assistant Marketing Manager at
Safari Beach Hotel explained to Citizen
Digital how vital sporting activities like the South Coast Fives are to the
tourism sector in Diani and Kwale County in general.
"The tourism sector has a pivotal role in reviving the
industry and we at Safari Beach Hotel have for long had a legacy of engaging
and supporting the local community. We welcome everyone to come and enjoy rugby,
music, and entertainment."
With a number of sponsors coming on board to support the
tournament, Miss Waithera also reiterated the importance of different
stakeholders supporting such initiatives. "A big thank you goes out to our
sponsors who have supported the teams and players a huge part in giving the
tournament visibility."
Saturday's programme will commence in the afternoon with
games kicking off at 3:30 pm. On Sunday, games will commence early morning with
trophy presentations and the closing ceremony set to take place in the
afternoon.
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