Wales & Singapore In Rwc Sevens Bids
Singapore and Wales have launched bids to stage the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in 2018. The Welsh Rugby Union’s early bid would see the Millennium Stadium stage the event, with some matches to be played at the nearby Cardiff City Stadium. The event hasn’t been staged in Britain since 1993 when it was staged in Scotland.
Wales will defend their crown in Moscow at this year’s tournament, chief executive of the WRU, Roger Lewis commented on the growth of the game: ‘Sevens is growing across the world. It will be in the Olympic Games in 2016 and the Olympic Games in 2020. We are preparing a bid to bring the Rugby World Cup Sevens to Cardiff in 2018. That’s five years hence because the IRB (International Rugby Board) have decided to move the Rugby World Cup Sevens to fit between those two Olympic events.’
Lewis added: ‘I’ve informed the IRB that we’re doing this and the IRB have kept me informed of the process they are working to. Hopefully over the course of the next six months we’ll know if we’re successful or not.’
However the IRB may be tempted to take the sport to new regions in which case Singapore’s bid may prove successful. The tournament would be played at the new Sport Hub, a 55,000 seater stadium which is currently in construction and is due to be completed in 2014.
President of the Singapore Rugby Union, Low Teo Ping, commented: ‘We have a good chance because Japan is hosting the 15s World Cup in 2019 so Singapore can offer a good lead-in tournament in Asia one year earlier.’
