'Highest Sevens' set for March 9 in Ranau
Published on: Monday, November 12, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The inaugural Sports Toto High Altitude Rugby Sevens tournament is set to be held 780 metres above sea level at Ranau Sports Complex on March 9 next year.Organising chairman, Johnny Apin, said the tournament dubbed as the Highest Sevens in the World is open to all senior teams from Sabah. "We have the option to make it into a national level tournament but since it is our first rugby tournament to be held in Ranau, we decided to take the process slowly in order to improve it further in the years to come.
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"So far around 20 teams have confirmed their participation, and we are still accepting teams before finalising the tournament's schedules next year," he said during a press conference here on Sunday. Johnny believed by staging the tournament at high altitude at the sports complex may benefit the athletes. "The venue is suitable for the athletes to improve their cardiovascular capacity as the oxygen level is slightly lower up there and if trained properly, it can improve the athletes' stamina. "This is why we chose Ranau as the location for the tournament, two weeks before the prestigious Borneo Sevens in Sandakan.
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"Our goal is to eventually make it into an international tournament with teams from outside the country which will also serve to improve Sabah's sports tourism sector," he added. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Those interested are to contact Ravichandran Periannan at 013-864 5256. – GL Oh
