Brussels, 1st March 2023
Today, the European Parliament officially presented the European rugby team ahead of the Parliamentary World Cup to be held next September in France. The ceremony took place in presence of the President of the Parliament and team’s patron, Mrs Roberta Metsola, as well as the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), representing its member and official tournament’s sponsor Canterbury.
“Being the unique federation representing the sporting goods industry in Europe, FESI is thrilled to be part of this adventure. Rugby is a game of honesty, solidarity and respect, which are core values shared by FESI and its members. For these reasons, we are more than proud that Canterbury, a member of the Pentland Group chaired by our Vice President Charlotte Cox and leader in rugby equipment, has kindly offered to become one the official sponsors of the EU Team”, declared Jérôme Pero, FESI Secretary General during the press conference.
In the run-up to the Rugby World Cup, which will take place in September-October 2023, a dozen of national parliamentarian teams from around the world will be competing in a parallel rugby championship to be held in France between 31 August and 8 September 2023. And for the first time in the competition’s history, the European Parliament has set up its own mixed team, composed of both men and women from 15 different nationalities, to compete against national parliamentarians from France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa.
“We are grateful for the support of FESI and Canterbury. Thanks to them, we will proudly carry the colors of Europe to the next Rugby World Cup“, said Eric Andrieu, Co-President of the EU Parliamentary Rugby Team.
The next key stage of the tournament will take place in Paris on 18 March, where the EU team will take on the French Parliament XV team in a friendly match at the Carpentier stadium where FESI will also present the official Canterbury-sponsored kit. FESI is looking forward to the game and is of course fully backing the European parliamentary team to go as far as possible in the competition and to bring the values of European sport to the highest level.
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Contact: Ariane Gatti, FESI Communication Manager / [email protected] / +32 (0)2 762 86 48
