PETALING JAYA – Even though the Covid-19 pandemic has come and gone, the world around us is still trying to recover from its effects, including the sporting arena.
Combined Old Boys Rugby Association (Cobra) president Darryll Sinnappa said organising the 50th edition of the Cobra 10s, which concluded yesterday in Padang Astaka here, had been a challenge, especially with the rising cost of everything.
Sponsors who were happy to invest before have started to tighten their belts after their respective businesses were hit hard by lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus.
So organisations like Cobra are left with having to restart their efforts from the ground up to keep a historic tournament like the Cobra 10s going.
“This year was our golden jubilee, which means there is a lot of legacy and history behind this tournament.
“We are very proud of that, I’m very proud to be involved in organising our 50th tournament.
“It is starting to be a bit more of a challenge to get the international teams to come especially with ticket and accommodation prices have gone up,” said Darryll.
Due to the financial constraints, this year’s tournament did not offer up any prize money to the winners, only medals and a championship trophy.
Despite that, he is grateful for the support of their current sponsors and the Youth and Sports Ministry who, through the Sports Matching Grant initiative, provided RM151,000 in funds to help organise the event.
“The sports ministry has been excellent in their support of us.
“They are saying carry on we will support you as long as you can deliver and bring more international teams.
“This is our strength at Cobra, we have got a strong history and good people that can actually organise.
“We do it with a lot of passion so I think for us we are feeling very proud that we have managed to successfully organise what is basically the only international rugby tournament in Malaysia,” he added.
Meanwhile, the coach of Cobra’s men’s team, Mike Rogers, has a different outlook on things.
“I know that it’s been really tough on the club not being able to host this tournament since 2019.
“I’m sure hosting the 50th edition of the tournament will be a big step in the right direction in terms of growing the competition’s stature back to what it was 10-15 years ago.
“So maybe Covid might be a blessing in disguise in terms of getting things restarted and engaging the local community and getting rugby really thriving again here in Malaysia,” said the Kiwi.
Organising Committee Chairman Lt Col (R) Tommy Pereira was pleased with the level of rugby on display at this year’s tournament and hopes it will inspire local players to raise their game.
“The quality of rugby has been much better than in previous years although we only have nine (men’s) teams, they have put on a very good display of high-quality rugby.
“We are hoping the Malaysians who are watching this will also be inspired to play better,” he said.
He added that some teams are already confirming their participation in next year’s edition of the Cobra 10s.
“This is a very popular tournament and we want to continue organising it. Some teams are already saying they want to come for next year,” said Tommy. – November 13, 2023