Bingham Cup players relaxed in the sunshine after a training session with Andrew Blades on Wednesday © Bingham Cup

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The Australian Rugby Union has launched an Inclusion Policy designed to stamp out discrimination and homophobia in rugby.

The Bingham Cup

The Bingham Cup © Getty Images

• The 2014 Bingham Cup, the world cup of gay rugby, is being held in Sydney from August 24- 31. Event organisers have led a range of initiatives aimed at tackling homophobia in sport in the lead-up to the tournament. In April, they organised a national televised event where the heads of every, major professional sport signed the 'Anti-homophobia and Inclusion Framework' developed by the Bingham Cup. This committed them to eliminating homophobia and making sport welcoming and inclusive. The biennial tournament is being hosted by Sydney Convicts in partnership with Melbourne Chargers and Brisbane Hustlers (Australia's other gay rugby union teams). Approximately 1000 players and supporters are expected to attend the week of events, parties and rugby games. The Bingham Cup has a goal of challenging stereotypes and perceptions of gay men.

Bingham Cup Honour Roll

• 2002: San Francisco Fog (San Franciso)
• 2004: San Francisco Fog (London)
• 2006: Sydney Convicts (New York)
• 2008: Sydney Convicts (Dublin)
• 2010: Gotham Knights (Minneapolis)
• 2012: Sydney Convicts (Manchester, England)
• The tournament is played along the lines of a sevens competition, with pool matches grading teams in knockout competitions. Teams play two games a day, with each guaranteed five matches and the champions and runners up playing six. The 2014 Bingham Cup in Sydney features 30 clubs representing 15 countries.

The board last August became the first major Australian sporting code to commit to developing such a policy, and the announcement on Friday coincides with the launch of the 2014 Bingham Cup that will see thousands of international players, fans and media gather in Sydney for the world cup of gay and inclusive rugby.

Union chief executive Bill Pulver reaffirmed rugby's resolve to eliminate discrimination when he joined the leaders of other codes in April to sign a collective commitment to stamp out homophobia in each of their respective sports.

"We've worked with a number of stakeholders to develop our Inclusion Policy - most particularly, the organisers of the 2014 Bingham Cup, who were instrumental in putting a framework together earlier this year," Pulver said. "Our new Inclusion Policy reinforces Australian rugby's commitment to ensuring every individual, whether they're players, supporters, coaches or administrators, feel safe, welcome and included, regardless of race, gender or sexuality.

"Over the next few months we'll start implementing our policy to ensure everyone involved in our game at all levels is aware of it and understands our expectations. We want Australian rugby to be an environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, reflecting our desire to create a truly diverse and inclusive Australian rugby community. There is absolutely no place for homophobia or any form of discrimination in our game and our actions and words, both on and off the field, must reflect this.

"I am confident our Inclusion Policy signals our clear stance on discrimination. It will ensure everyone in rugby understands our position on inclusion and will help us tackle homophobia in all aspects of our sport."

Wallabies stalwart and Bingham Cup ambassador Adam Ashley-Cooper, echoed Pulver's sentiments in expressing his support for the tournament.

"I'm extremely proud to be part of an event which is challenging stereotypes, and the 2014 Bingham Cup is an excellent chance to foster further growth for the initiative," Ashley-Cooper said.

"Freeing Australian sport of discrimination is crucial and I'm looking forward to supporting players from around the world as they band together for a great cause."

Former Wallabies captain John Eales, another Bingham Cup ambassador, said "we should commend and celebrate the support around the world to address homophobia and discrimination in sport".

"There is still a great deal of work to do," Eales said at the launch of the ARU Inclusion Policy. "But I'm hopeful we'll soon see a time when athletes at all levels feel comfortable being open about their sexuality and playing the sports they love without fear of discrimination."

Nick Farr-Jones, like Eales a Rugby World Cup-winning Wallabies captain and Bingham Cup ambassador, said he was "proud rugby is taking a leadership role in tackling homophobia and other forms of discrimination".

IRB chief executive Brett Gosper, meanwhile, said that "rugby recognises sport's wider responsibility to society and its ability to drive social change".

"Sport promotes inclusivity and celebrates diversity," Gosper wrote in a letter to New Zealand rugby and cricket Test player Jeff Wilson, chairman of the International Gay Rugby Association. "We are proud as rugby grows across every continent that the sport's strong values of solidarity, integrity, discipline, respect and passion still make a real difference in modern society.

"The Bingham Cup is a symbol of the power of sport to drive social change. It has opened hearts and minds and will continue to inspire future generations to participate, to express themselves and to have fun."

The three-day bi-annual Bingham Cup is "tagged as the gay and inclusive Rugby World Cup, but being the inclusive World Cup that means anyone can play," Sven Dahlhelm of the reigning champion Sydney Convicts said.

Dahlhelm, who is straight, said he found the Convicts to be a great group of guys after he started training with them and felt comfortable playing alongside them.

Asked what was the most popular misconception straight men had about gay rugby players, Dahlhelm said: "That they will be soft, that it's going to be a lesser level. I assumed wrongly that the level of competition would be quite low, but there's some really amazing players in the team. These guys are just as tough and just as macho as anyone else that plays footy."

Former Australia Test prop and current Wallabies set-piece coach Andrew Blades attests to the toughness and commitment of the players after putting some through their paces in Sydney on Wednesday. And he feels tournaments such as the Bingham Cup are important in dispelling prejudices about gay rugby clubs.

"I definitely think it is [important], because I think subconsciously people would assume that gay people wouldn't play rugby," Blades said. "These guys show it's not true."

Even elite-level gay sportsmen such as Brad Thorson, who tried out for NFL team Arizona Cardinals, admitted to having misconceptions about homosexuals playing rugby before he linked up with two-time Bingham Cup champions San Francisco Fog. "I ended up out there for practice about nine months ago, half expecting a bunch of guys in tutus, so I had those same pre-conceived notions," Thorson said.

Wallabies forwards coach Andrew Blades drilled Bingham Cup players on Wednesday © Brittany Mitchell / Scrum.com

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