IRB Member Unions Arabian Gulf, Australia, Kenya, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa and USA all confirmed their commitment to host the Tournament by the deadline of Friday, September 29.
“This is extremely exciting news for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009,” said International Rugby Board Chairman, Dr Syd Millar. “The fact that seven Unions have signalled their intention to host the tournament is significant as it represents an unprecedented level of interest for a Rugby World Cup event. This strong response also reflects the importance of this tournament on the world sporting calendar while further highlighting Rugby Sevens growing global appeal.”
The last Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament, held in Hong Kong last year broke all previous attendance and broadcast records with a capacity crowd of 120,000 fans attending the three competition days, while television coverage of the event reached over 450 million homes. In addition, over 10 million hits were recorded on the tournament’s official website.
