12-27-2010 14:32 BJT
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Some inmates have been displaying their rugby potential at a maximum security prison in Argentina.
This is Unit 9, part of the Buenos Aires Provincial Penitentiary Service, located on the outskirts of the Argentinean capital. Twelve hundred prisoners are locked away here in this maximum security institution.
Convicts discovered a common interest in rugby union and proposed it as a project to take forward. The plan won the backing of the prison authorities. Soon, there was a regular group of 25 inmates taking part in training sessions inside Unit 9. They are now known as the Fenix Rugby Club, a reference to the mythological bird that rises from the ashes to start a new life. The authorities have noticed a significant impact on those taking part.
Prison official Martin Fernandez Bustos, said, "Friendship, unity, respect for others, how they treat people. I have seen the way in which violence has no place for these guys anymore. It's a sport which is all about respect for others. And from my point of view, I didn't really know anything about rugby before this, but I do know something about it now."
It was Fenix's first competitive day. One of the men responsible was a public defence lawyer. Jose Luis Villada has represented several inmates at the Unit, and he played as a member of the opposition team for this historic match.
Lawyer Jose Luis Villada said, "As rugby players they are new men. And the idea is that they should begin a new path so they become new men inside too. And by that I mean within themselves, not inside prison where they are right now. I have been working in the justice system for many years now and reintegrating people into society is a constant preoccupation for me, so it's great to be able to combine that with what I most enjoy doing, which is playing rugby."
21 inmates, two prison officers, one computer studies teacher and a physical education instructor made up the match-day squad from Unit 9, playing their first-ever competitive fixture.
On a day of high emotion, they were each accompanied everywhere by a chaperone. The security was not just for show, as these men have been convicted of some serious crimes. Winning permission for the match to take place at all was difficult.
This was the first proper game of rugby for some of the players from Unit 9. The youngest member of the squad is 20, the oldest, 55.
Their opponent, Platenses Gagas, was a veteran side from the city of La Plata. Fenix narrowly lost the match. But for the players, who also have the rare privilege of meeting up with their families away from the Unit, the result did not matter much.
Prison inmate Lucas Bonetto said, "Just being here is beautiful. To be able to enjoy getting out of prison, to be here, to play, and to take advantage of this whole opportunity."
The Buenos Aires Rugby Union Federation also supports Fenix. It helps with coaching and equipment, and rugby union now has already been introduced to three other prisons in the region.
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