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Cold War bunker helping women's rugby on the road to parity
Cold War bunker helping women's rugby on the road to parity

South Wales Argus

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • South Wales Argus

Cold War bunker helping women's rugby on the road to parity

A Cold War bunker in Oxfordshire is helping the Women's Rugby World Cup achieve parity with the men's game. While World Rugby have a target of achieving equality at men's and women's World Cups by 2033, the 2025 tournament in England will see the medical services match those at the men's editions. That includes investing in state-of-the-art equipment, with portable X-rays set to be used for the first time in the women's game in England, having first been brought in for the men's World Cup in France in 2023. The medical equipment is now making its way to the match venues and teams as they arrive in the country for the tournament. Previously, it was all stored at an 'eerie' airbase near Bicester. 'Until I turned up, I didn't know it was a Cold War bunker,' tournament medical director Dr Jo Larkin said. 'There is this place called Upper Heyford, it is a bit like a random purpose-built town, and it feels eerie or like you are in a movie. 'You drive through and you turn into a Cold War bunker, and there are loads of them. It is a great space, it is quite unique. 'That is where we have got all of our kit, and the kit has taken up over a third of space in there. It is a huge amount. 'We have got rows and rows of kit, and every kit goes on a roadshow around the country. We have got four kits moving around, but we've also agreed to provide the teams with their medical kit, their trauma kit. 'It has been a lot of packing, three and a bit days in total, with lots of audit checks. This will be going around the whole country.' Larkin is returning to women's rugby, having started her career working with the then-amateur Red Roses side. She moved into the men's game and has since worked in tennis and sailing, as well as practising clinically. Larkin added: 'It is all about prioritising player care and management. 'When I started off in the women's game, and was flicking between the men's and women's, I used to really struggle because this is a person, a human being. I don't care what their genetics are, they should get the same medical care. Lexi Chambers' journey to #RWC2025 is remarkable 🙌 You won't want to miss their incredible challenge with @ChildFundRugby — Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) August 11, 2025 'They finally are, which is amazing because when I first started off my journey, I would have a different experience from when I was working with the men's and the women's. 'I am proud to say we are prioritising player welfare, and we are prioritising both male and female players the same way.' The commitment to equal treatment for male and female players comes as World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Professor Éanna Falvey revealed that women in rugby are much more proactive in engaging with medical insight. The take-up for the new smart mouthguards with LED lights, which detect head impacts, is almost universal, with the only players at the Rugby World Cup not set to wear them having braces. Meanwhile, the take-up rate for male players wearing smart mouthguards is around 85 per cent. Falvey said: 'I have to take my hat off to the women's players. If men were as forethinking and as accepting of change and research as women, we would be a lot further along the road in the men's game as well. 'The women's game has been phenomenal in grabbing any information they can get, grabbing any opportunity they can get to advance their game, and it has been brilliant to work with the game as a whole. 'It sounds like a generalisation, but it is a fact that anybody who has been in the game has seen.' With more than 330,000 tickets already sold, and prices starting at just £5 for children and £10 for adults, fans are encouraged to secure their tickets now via

ChildFund Rugby ambassador relishing record-breaking World Cup challenge
ChildFund Rugby ambassador relishing record-breaking World Cup challenge

Yahoo

time11-08-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

ChildFund Rugby ambassador relishing record-breaking World Cup challenge

By Laura Howard ChildFund Rugby ambassador Lexi Chambers was overwhelmed as she was presented with the opening matchday whistle for the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 at Allianz Stadium ahead of her world record-breaking fundraising challenge. Chambers is attempting to complete 10 ultramarathons in 10 days in a non-sport wheelchair, covering the distance between Allianz Stadium, Twickenham and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland to fundraise for ChildFund Rugby. She will time her arrival in Sunderland to coincide with England's opening match against the USA where she will deliver the official match whistle. 'It's amazing. The whistle side is a real shock and just holding it and being here [at Allianz Stadium] is a dream come true for a rugby fan,' said Chambers, who set off on her journey from Twickenham Stoop on Sunday. 'I'm fighting the urge to kiss the turf at the moment, it's like hallowed ground. I'm overwhelmed. 'Watching the girls playing and knowing they've got the biggest tournament of their lives coming up and they will have given everything they can to get there always inspires me. 'When the days get tough, I'll think of them and how they're going to be feeling when they come to their big challenge.' Chambers is a five-time world record holder, Army veteran and endurance athlete who has fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome - with the latter resulting in her leg being amputated. Having covered 874 miles in 45 days from John O'Groats to Land's End last year for rugby, she is now attempting another world record for ChildFund Rugby to inspire others to get involved in the sport. 'I want to show that sport is for everybody. If you have any adversity in your life you have two choices: you can say that's it or you can change your life for the better,' she said. 'It's not easy but it's possible and you only get one life so you may as well be the best you can with it. 'I was offered a sports wheelchair but I thought most people don't have access to things like a sportschair, they can be around £60,000. Why should sport just be for people who can afford it? It should be for everyone.' It is a message that perfectly encapsulates the aims of World Rugby's charity partner ChildFund Rugby, who use the sport as a tool for development across the world. 'Lexi's is a legacy that people have to hear because it can be so inspiring. Other people will hear that and it will create a knock on effect,' said ChildFund Ambassador and former Leicester Tigers player Zainab 'Zee' Alema. 'That's what we want to do, especially with this World Cup. It's inspiring different people, from different walks of life, to just get involved in sport.' It puts rugby, and the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, at the forefront of creating change with the tournament set to be the biggest iteration of the tournament yet. Managing Director of Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Sarah Massey handed over the golden whistle to Chambers at the Allianz Stadium and was left feeling inspired by her challenge. 'The whistle is one of the most iconic pieces of equipment that we will use in any of our matches and the fact Lexi is breaking another world record to get it to Sunderland is extraordinary,' she said. 'It's such a symbolic moment to be able to link that with such an amazing cause like ChildFund, the two together just represent the spirit of the Women's Rugby World Cup.' Chambers will be fundraising for the charity along the route as every kilometre acts as a call to action to invest in young people, to challenge what's possible, and to celebrate rugby as a platform for change. 'Any time that people purchase tickets there's an opportunity to donate, when they buy merchandise at the stands they can round-up and donate, and there are places on the website to support Lexi,' explained Co-Director of ChildFund Rugby Megan Knight. 'There are so many opportunities to get involved and donate at such an exciting moment for women's rugby.'

ChildFund Rugby ambassador relishing record-breaking challenge
ChildFund Rugby ambassador relishing record-breaking challenge

South Wales Argus

time11-08-2025

  • Sport
  • South Wales Argus

ChildFund Rugby ambassador relishing record-breaking challenge

Chambers is attempting to complete 10 ultramarathons in 10 days in a non-sport wheelchair, covering the distance between Allianz Stadium, Twickenham and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland to fundraise for ChildFund Rugby. She will time her arrival in Sunderland to coincide with England's opening match against the USA where she will deliver the official match whistle. 'It's amazing. The whistle side is a real shock and just holding it and being here [at Allianz Stadium] is a dream come true for a rugby fan,' said Chambers, who set off on her journey from Twickenham Stoop on Sunday. 'I'm fighting the urge to kiss the turf at the moment, it's like hallowed ground. I'm overwhelmed. 'Watching the girls playing and knowing they've got the biggest tournament of their lives coming up and they will have given everything they can to get there always inspires me. 'When the days get tough, I'll think of them and how they're going to be feeling when they come to their big challenge.' Chambers is a five-time world record holder, Army veteran and endurance athlete who has fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome - with the latter resulting in her leg being amputated. Having covered 874 miles in 45 days from John O'Groats to Land's End last year for rugby, she is now attempting another world record for ChildFund Rugby to inspire others to get involved in the sport. 'I want to show that sport is for everybody. If you have any adversity in your life you have two choices: you can say that's it or you can change your life for the better,' she said. 'It's not easy but it's possible and you only get one life so you may as well be the best you can with it. 'I was offered a sports wheelchair but I thought most people don't have access to things like a sportschair, they can be around £60,000. Why should sport just be for people who can afford it? It should be for everyone.' It is a message that perfectly encapsulates the aims of World Rugby's charity partner ChildFund Rugby, who use the sport as a tool for development across the world. 'Lexi's is a legacy that people have to hear because it can be so inspiring. Other people will hear that and it will create a knock on effect,' said ChildFund Ambassador and former Leicester Tigers player Zainab 'Zee' Alema. 'That's what we want to do, especially with this World Cup. It's inspiring different people, from different walks of life, to just get involved in sport.' It puts rugby, and the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, at the forefront of creating change with the tournament set to be the biggest iteration of the tournament yet. Managing Director of Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Sarah Massey handed over the golden whistle to Chambers at the Allianz Stadium and was left feeling inspired by her challenge. 'The whistle is one of the most iconic pieces of equipment that we will use in any of our matches and the fact Lexi is breaking another world record to get it to Sunderland is extraordinary,' she said. 'It's such a symbolic moment to be able to link that with such an amazing cause like ChildFund, the two together just represent the spirit of the Women's Rugby World Cup.' Chambers will be fundraising for the charity along the route as every kilometre acts as a call to action to invest in young people, to challenge what's possible, and to celebrate rugby as a platform for change. 'Any time that people purchase tickets there's an opportunity to donate, when they buy merchandise at the stands they can round-up and donate, and there are places on the website to support Lexi,' explained Co-Director of ChildFund Rugby Megan Knight. 'There are so many opportunities to get involved and donate at such an exciting moment for women's rugby.' You can follow Lexi's journey at @ChildFund Rugby and @RugbyWorldCup, and donate to the cause here.

World Rugby and ChildFund Rugby celebrate a decade of impact through 'Pass It Back'
World Rugby and ChildFund Rugby celebrate a decade of impact through 'Pass It Back'

Yahoo

time06-04-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

World Rugby and ChildFund Rugby celebrate a decade of impact through 'Pass It Back'

World Rugby and ChildFund Rugby are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of ground-breaking sport for development initiative Pass It Back. Launched in 2015, Pass It Back has become a global movement for equity, opportunity, and leadership, reaching more than 80,000 young people across 36 countries. Initially piloted in five villages in northern Laos, Pass It Back emerged from a simple but bold idea: that sport, particularly rugby, can be a catalyst for social transformation. As World Rugby's first-ever Global Social Impact Partner, ChildFund Rugby has mobilised over £10 million in support of this vision, expanding the initiative's reach and deepening its impact globally. 'Our collaboration with ChildFund Rugby is driven by a shared commitment to purpose and progress,' said World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin. 'Pass It Back connects with communities far beyond the traditional reach of the sport, demonstrating the values of rugby through real, lasting impact. It's a smart, strategic investment in the leadership potential of young people around the world.' How did a #Sport4Development pilot in Laos grow into a global movement? 🌍Swipe to see how we've made a difference - and what's next for ChildFund Rugby!👉 Join us on this incredible journey.#PoweredByRugby 🌍⚡🏉 #JoinTheMovement — ChildFund Rugby (@ChildFundRugby) February 3, 2025 Pass It Back boldly challenges negative narratives impacting girls in sport. Since its inception, the initiative has reached 36 countries, and there have been over 82,000 player registrations, 3,100 coach accreditations delivered and more than 82,000 integrated rugby and life skills sessions. More than half of the coaches and players in Pass It Back are women and girls – an intentional focus aimed at breaking down barriers to gender equity. From Hatice in Turkey, who regained confidence through rugby following a devastating earthquake, to female coaches in the Philippines leading disaster recovery after Typhoon Odette, Pass It Back stories illustrate how sport can build resilience and cohesion in vulnerable communities. In Vietnam, Mai, a player with a hearing impairment, joined a community rugby team and found connection, purpose, and the opportunity to lead. Her journey is one of many that highlight the initiative's commitment to creating spaces where every child can thrive – regardless of ability or background. As Pass It Back enters its second decade, the focus has turned to scaling its impact and fostering deeper systems change, with recent expansions into Kenya and Madagascar,. And ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2025, World Rugby and ChildFund Rugby have launched Grassroots to Global – an initiative that celebrates women's leadership, strengthens international connections, and drives investment in inclusive, community-led sport. Margaret Sheehan, CEO of ChildFund Australia, said: 'This milestone is a testament to the power of partnership. "We're grateful to World Rugby and to every player, coach, union, and supporter who has believed in the power of sport to change lives. Together, we're building a generation ready to lead.'

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