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It has more member clubs than some national governing bodies, and was set up to make sure people in the LGBTQ+ community were able to enjoy rugby as their authentic selves.

But International Gay Rugby (IGR), like all major sporting bodies, has had its own challenges to overcome during in the pandemic – and that’s also true for chair Karl Ainscough-Gates.

He became IGR chair in the summer of 2020 – and immediately had to deal with things like the postponement of the Bingham Cup, managing IGR’s relationship with World Rugby and more.

So, now things have settled a little bit, we thought it was the perfect time to sit down with Karl to chat about both IGR and his love of rugby.

That’s what this conversation is about – how he got into the sport; why inclusivity matters; how rugby has become more inclusive over the years; why allyship matters; what the plans are for a year of celebrations for IGR’s 20th anniversary; and whether he still enjoys the game as much as he used to!

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?
@IGRugby
igrugby.org

WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?
@jack_murley
jack.murley@bbc.co.uk

PHOTO CREDIT: IGR (https://igrugby.org/photos)

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