Date : February 21, 2019
Video report: Building Economic & Sporting Legacy of Rugby World Cup 2019 (Organising Committee CEO Shimazu/ Ambassador Sakuraba (Kamaishi Seawaves GM))
post date : 2019.02.21
The Rugby World Cup (RWC) is held once every four years. The ninth RWC will be held in Japan from September 20 to November 2, the first time it has been held in Asia. The last RWC, held in England in 2015, had a total of around 2.47 million spectators at its 48 matches, with a total TV audience of 4 billion. Over 500,000 spectators are expected to travel to Japan for this RWC, and it is hoped the tournament will contribute to stimulating local economies, particularly those in the 12 cities matches will be held in.
One of those host cities is Kamaishi, Iwate, which was known as the “City of Rugby” in the 1980s and was seriously damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. As part of the reconstruction plan after the disaster, a new stadium was built, and the city intends to demonstrate its recovery to the world through this World Cup.
The FPCJ invited Mr. Akira Shimazu, CEO of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee, along with Mr. Yoshihiko Sakuraba, who played for Japan in the RWC three times and is the Rugby World Cup 2019 Ambassador, to speak about preparations for the tournament, and the significance of hosting it. Mr. Sakuraba, who was a player and coach for the Kamaishi Seawaves (formerly Nippon Steel Kamaishi) and is currently their general manager, also spoke about his feelings toward the Rugby World Cup.
The briefing had a total of 31 participants including journalists from Australia, France, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan, and the USA.
Distributed material: FPCJ Press Conference (Rugby World Cup 2019)
Date: February 21 (Thu), 2019
Briefer: Mr. Akira SHIMAZU, CEO, Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee
Mr. Yoshihiko SAKURABA, Rugby World Cup 2019 Ambassador/General Manager, Kamaishi
Seawaves/ Former Nippon Steel and Kamaishi Seawaves player and Former
Japan National Team (43 caps, Rugby World Cup – 1987, 1995 & 1999)
Language: Japanese (with consecutive English interpretation)
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