Romania's Octavian Morariu wins landslide Rugby Europe election

Presiding President of Rugby Europe, Octavian Morariu, has won re-election to the role in a landslide victory.

The Rugby Europe General Assembly, confirmed the election of the 59-year-old Morariu for the position of president at the regional governing body, and he will serve in office from 2020-2024.

The representatives of the 46 active member unions have made their choice from the two candidates applying for the post. The former Romanian international won 80.95 per cent of the vote, beating Russian challenger Kirill Yashenkov in a two-horse race.

“It is a huge honour for me to be elected for a new cycle as Rugby Europe President," said Morariu. "I would like to thank all of our unions for their support and also Kirill Yashenkov for his campaign. Along with Russia and all the other unions, we will battle to develop “Rugby for All” which I believe is necessary for the growth of our sport in the future."

Rugby Europe is the governing body responsible for the promotion, development, administration and management of international competitions for the 48 member unions across Europe.

The association organizes over 80 international games and 20 rugby tournaments each year, among which Men’s fifteen-a-side European Championships (Championship, Trophy, Conference 1 & 2, Development), U20 and U18 European Championships and all the 7s men and women European competitions, World Cup and Olympics Qualifiers.