Apollo Perelini’s UAE 7’s squad set off this morning to compete in the Asian Games competition also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018, which is a pan-Asian multi-sport event being held from 18 August to 2 September 2018 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang which is hosting the Games for the first time since 1962.

The all Emirati squad will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the National Sevens squad that made their rugby sevens debut at the Queenstown Stadium in Singapore for the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy 2018 which saw the expat featured squad beat the two best sides at the tournament (apart from themselves) – the hosts and Thailand – to become champions in the second tier of sevens.

The Asian games will be kicking off on the 30th August where Perelini’s squad will hopefully progress to the knockout stages of the competition. They will be competing their pool games against the likes of Korea, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and will be looking to get their first game off to a good start against a strong Sri Lanka squad.

Asian Games 2018 – UAE National Sevens Squad

• Saeed Ibrahim Abdulla Saad
• Ahmed Mohammed Alareefi
• Majid Mohammed Albalooshi
• Walid Salem Albalooshi
• Younes Ahmed Alblooshi
• Saeed Abdulla Alkatheeri
• Mohammed Khalifa Almarar
• Rashed Saqer Almarzooqi
• Hassan Ali Alnoobi
• Mohammed Sulaiman Alnuaimi
• Ali Matar Alsereidi
• Mohamed Saeed Alshamsi
• Ahmad Moosa Alshehi
• Hamad Rashed Alshkeili
• Yousuf Lashkri Mohammad
• Abdalla Rabee Rabee Salmin

Asian Games Pool C Rugby Sevens Fixtures For UAE

• Sri Lanka vs UAE
• UAE vs Afghanistan
• Korea vs UAE

Favourites to win the Rugby Sevens at the Asian Games 2018 will be Japan who will be looking to impress before the Nations 15’s Rugby Union side compete in next years 2019 Rugby World Cup.