Rugby World Cup Earns £2.1bn For Host Nation
An independent report has found that the Rugby World Cup is one of the most economically beneficial sports event in the world, bringing in a potential £2.1bn for the host nation.
Deloitte’s survey found that the tournament has the potential to benefit the host nation to the tune of billions of pounds in revenue, while capital expenditure costs are among the lowest for an event of this size.
‘The report confirms that the tournament is now the third biggest in the world in terms of spectator attendance and the influx of international visitors,’ IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said.
Lapasset added that the economic benefits are principally due to the large amount of traveling supporters, entertainment, and business networking.
The report also explains that there is an increasing realisation of the significant benefits to be earned from hosting major international sports events.
The 2007 RWC delivered a global cumulative TV audience of over 4bn with 2.3m paying spectators, and a 28 percent increase in registered rugby players following the tournament.
While New Zealand has already won the hosting rights to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the bidding process for the subsequent two tournaments is currently underway. Ten nations have already expressed an interest in hosting RWC in 2015 and 2019 including all of the home nations.
