The Rugby Americas North (RAN), in conjunction with Federación Mexicana de Rugby, announced on Wednesday that the 2022 RAN Super Sevens next month in Mexico City has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“After discussions with RAN’s Medical Committee and the Mexican Rugby Federation, it is with regret that RAN has made the decision to postpone the RAN Super Sevens scheduled for February 2022 in Mexico City,” said Niall Brooks, the General Manager of RAN.
“We are taking a precautionary measure as the Omicron variant continues to surge around the globe,” a release from RAN further stated.
In an invited comment, Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) President, Ryan Dey, commended RAN for the move to protect its players, and noted that the postponement should not be seen as all doom and gloom.
Dey said this new development will give the Guyana team a longer period of much-needed preparation.
“We are seeing this as a good thing for us. We now have enough time to get our guys in the field physically and mentally ready for the great task ahead,” the President told News Room Sport.
Dey noted they had a “slow-paced” training in December due to the players having work commitments, but “we have more time now to get prepared and bring home the gold.”
Mexico was slated to host the Sevens Championship from February 11-13, featuring a variety of categories, including both Seniors and Juniors/Men’s and Women’s teams.
It was set to be the biggest event in RAN’s history with more than 25 teams competing across three divisions on two fields.
Whenever it comes off, the tournament would also act as a qualifier for the Centro Caribe Games in 2022, Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifiers in June 2022 and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, in 2022.
It is understood the rescheduled tournament could be held in June.
