About:

Can-Am Tournament Created in 1974 Considered one of the largest and best run rugby events in the world, the Bud Light Can-Am Tournament was created in 1974 by the Mountaineers Rugby Club of Saranac Lake, New York. The inaugural event was an eight-team affair that quickly doubled and has mushroomed into a mid-summer tradition with 100 teams converging on the Adirondacks.

The Bud Light Can-Am Tournament grew in size and stature, adding eight teams each year through 1987. The Can-Am committee then capped participation at 100 teams, making it one of the largest rugby tournaments in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. There is competition in six different divisions, including one for women.

The 2002 competition will be held August 3-4. Main playing fields are at the Saranac Lake Middle School and the Lake Placid High School fields at the North Elba Show Grounds. The finals have traditionally attracted 3,000 spectators to the fields at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake. Admission to all games is free.

Anheuser-Busch and A&M Beverage of Malone, NY have combined to involve Bud Light as the title sponsor of the event. Other sponsors include American Rugby Outfitters.