Tel Aviv Ibex (Hebrew: אייבקס תל אביב; Arabic: آيبكس تل ابيب) is a rugby union club based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is the first and only LGBTQ+ inclusive men's rugby club in Western Asia.[1]
| Full name | Tel Aviv Ibex Rugby Football Club |
|---|---|
| Unions | Rugby Israel; International Gay Rugby |
| Emblem(s) | Nubian ibex |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Ground(s) | Sportek Tel Aviv, Yarkon Park |
| Coach(es) | Michal Vaizman (2021/2022); Jeremy Schauder (2022- ) |
| Largest win | |
| Bingham Cup Gladiator Plate (2024) | |
| Official website | |
| www | |
History
editFoundation and name
editThe club was founded in 2021 with just ten players, most of whom had not played rugby before.[1] One founding member later described to Mako News how as a school kid he was always "the student chosen last in sports lessons".[2] The club was initially called the Tel Aviv Leviathans, later renaming, getting the new name from the desert-dwelling species of wild goat native to the Levant.
Subsequent chronology
editThe club affiliated with the Academic Sports Association (ASA) in 2022,[2] and in 2023 became a member of International Gay Rugby.[3]
In April 2023 Ibex partnered with two other inclusive clubs — the Berkshire Unicorns and the Bristol Bisons — to compete at the Union Cup in Birmingham. Ibex contributed four players to a joint team playing under the Berkshire Unicorns banner.
In May 2023 the club won a national sevens tournament[2] hosted by Yizre'el Rugby Club.
The club competed at the biennial Bingham Cup in Rome in May 2024,[1] winning the Gladiator Plate against Orlando Otters RFC with a score of 19-5.
Composition
editIbex players come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and sexual identities, including both members of the LGBTQ+ community and straight allies.[2]
According to an i24NEWS news report on the club in June 2024, Ibex counts both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians amongst its team,[1] with the report describing it as "a delicate coexistence that keeps politics off the rugby pitch, but forces the players to encounter viewpoints they might not otherwise hear".[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Robert Swift (2024-06-25). "Breaking barriers and tackling stereotypes: Ibex Tel Aviv, the Middle East's first gay rugby team". i24NEWS. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ a b c d e Leroy Pinyan (2023-10-06). "קבוצת הרוגבי הישראלית בדרך לקטוף גביע בינלאומי" [The Israeli rugby team on its way to win an international trophy]. Mako (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ "Tel Aviv Ibex RFC". International Gay Rugby. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
External links
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