2026 National Touch Rugby Championship kicks off in Fuzhou, the first Fujian and Taiwan team debuts

China News Service, Fuzhou, November 7 (Zheng Jiangluo) The 2026 National Touch Rugby Championship kicked off in Fuzhou on the 7th, with nearly 50 teams and more than 700 athletes competing at the same venue. This is the first time Fuzhou has hosted the highest-level touch rugby event in the country after hosting the national touch rugby divisional competition for four consecutive years.

This event is hosted by the Chinese Rugby Association, and the competition categories cover primary school, middle school, adult and other age groups. It is reported that the first Fujian and Taiwan youth rugby team formed by the Fujian Provincial Rugby Association in July this year appeared on the field. The team relied on the Fuzhou Foreign Languages ​​and Foreign Trade College team coached by Kang Yongming, deputy secretary-general of the Fujian Provincial Rugby Association, and absorbed young players from Fujian and Taiwan. This is also the first time that a joint team from Fujian and Taiwan has appeared in the national touch rugby competition.

Kang Yongming came to Fujian from Taiwan in 2024 to promote rugby. At that time, only 45 schools in the province offered this sport course. Over the past two years, the number of schools in Fujian that carry out campus rugby has expanded to 150, ranking first in the country in terms of participation. Kang Yongming said that with the common sport of rugby, young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have a "common language". In addition to playing ball together, they can also enjoy delicious food, visit lanes and alleys, and understand each other's culture. "Only when we get to know each other can we truly become like a family."

Kang Yongming said that the Fujian-Taiwan team has been established for nearly half a year. This is the first time to participate in the highest level competition in the country. He hopes to use football as a medium to enhance emotional exchanges between young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Wu Lusheng, president of the Fujian Provincial Rugby Association, said cross-strait exchanges have always been a feature of Fujian rugby. During the event, the 14th Strait Youth Gathering and the 11th Cross-Strait (Fujian) Youth Rugby Exchange Tournament will be held simultaneously, establishing a regular communication platform and making rugby a warm bond for young people from Fujian and Taiwan to understand each other and work together.

According to reports, this cross-strait rugby exchange game has been adjusted from the previous competition system to a season system. The competition has been expanded to include rugby, touch rugby, American equipment rugby, flag rugby and other categories, building a broad platform for cross-strait rugby sports integration and exchange.

In recent years, Fujian has continued to deepen the integration of sports and education and expanded sports exchanges between Fujian and Taiwan. Rugby has been included in the official competition events of the Fuzhou Primary and Secondary School Games and the recruitment project for students with sports talents in the high school entrance examination.