 | |
| Established | 10 June 1935 (as FIRA) 1999 (as FIRA–AER) June 2014 |
|---|---|
| Type | Sports federation |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Coordinates | 48°52′46″N 2°19′41″E / 48.87944°N 2.32806°E |
Membership | 47 unions |
President | Octavian Morariu |
| Website | rugbyeurope.eu |
Rugby Europe is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise, and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of World Rugby (the sport's global governing body). However, it is not responsible for the organisation of the Six Nations Championship or the competitions run by European Professional Club Rugby (the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup).[1]
The predecessor to Rugby Europe was the Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur (FIRA), which was established in 1934 to administer rugby union in Europe outside the authority of the International Rugby Football Board (as World Rugby was then called), and came to spread outside the continent. FIRA agreed to come under the auspices of World Rugby in the 1990s, and appended 'Association Européenne de Rugby' to its name in a return to being a European body. In 2014 the organisation was renamed Rugby Europe as part of a re-branding.
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rugby Europe suspended Russia from international and European continental rugby union competition. In addition, the Rugby Union of Russia was suspended from Rugby Europe.[2][3]
- ^ "Rugby Europe Bylaws (Edition 2020)" (PDF). Rugby Europe. 2020. pp. 6–7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Gallan, Daniel (1 March 2022). "World Rugby joins other sports bodies by suspending Russia and Belarus". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "Rugby Europe Statement – Russia and Belarus Suspension". Rugby Europe. Retrieved 3 March 2022.