Lycans Black from Lebanon, and host nation Turkey’s La Bebos women emerged as the champions from the sixth Istanbul Beach Rugby League tournament, held at the Kalamis Sport Complex. 

It was the Lycans’ fourth successive title, beating Kadikoy Villains 4-1 in the final, reversing their result in the group stages. Newcomers Beytepe Panthers from Turkey finished in third place.

The women’s decider was a derby between Kadikoy Ladies and La Bebos, a repeat of the 2021 final, which went down to the final play, La Bebos winning 2-1 to claim their first silverware, Red Star Women from Serbia were third.

“The tournament was well represented, with 18 men’s and eight women’s teams covering six nations - Netherlands, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Iran, Serbia and Turkey,” said Turkey Rugby League Association president, Gurol Yildiz. 

“There were over 300 competitors and, at the end, it was standing room only in the crowd such was the interest. We are looking to more teams and nations taking part in the coming years.”