Rugby union in Libya is a minor but growing sport.
Libyan rugby is not yet affiliated to the IRB.
Libyan rugby is of relatively recent origin, although it has been played in neighbouring countries such as Italy and Malta, and to a lesser extent Tunisia. It is believed that the first rugby in Libya was played by British troops or possibly Italians. Like many other Maghrebi nations, Libyan rugby tended to look to Europe for inspiration, rather than to the rest of Africa.
The first Libyan team, the Benghazi Wasps, was set up in the 1970s and played against teams from expatriate oil workers. In 1998, Jamal abed founded team called the Tripoli Barbarians, but it was not until 2008 that official club teams recognised by Libya's governing body for sports were set up in Benghazi. [1] [2]
The first official tournament took place in 2008 in Benghazi, organised by Thair El Heri. [3] The first officially recognised body for rugby was the Benghazi Rugby Committee. [4]
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in England in the first half of the 19th century. Rugby is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends.
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, and referred to colloquially as football, footy, rugby, or league in its heartlands, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m (74 yd) wide and 112–122 m (122–133 yd) long with H-shaped posts at both ends. It is one of the two major codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union.
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Al-Ahly Sports Cultural & Social Club, also known as Al-Ahly Ly or Al-Ahly Benghazi, is a Libyan basketball club that is based in Benghazi. Founded in 1950, the club competes in the Libyan Division I Basketball League and has won three championships, in 2010, 2011 and 2023.
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Rugby union in Niger is a minor but growing sport.
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