Rule allows kids to play rugby safely

Sixteen teams participated in the first rugby championship for primary and middle school students in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Saturday, helping to promote the sport among children in China, organizers said.

The event, organized by the bureaus of education and sports in Fuzhou, along with local rugby associations, aimed to promote sports exchanges among students, build a sense of solidarity and cooperation and help energize the development of rugby, which is at an early stage of development in China.

Because rugby involves physical contact, safety for children is a concern, said Wu Lusheng, head of the Fujian Rugby Association. Beginners can adjust, Wu said, through a rule under which a defender who touches body of an attacker who carries a ball, the attacker should put the ball down and let a teammate continue.

"So it's a safe sport suitable for people of any age or sex," Wu said, noting that the tournament includes a mix of girls and boys playing together.