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- 17 countries bid to host IRB Sevens World Series from 2015/16
- More record broadcast figures for 2013/14 highlight commercial appealInternational Rugby Board Chairman Bernard Lapasset has hailed the global growth of Rugby Sevens after the International Federation confirmed it had received tender documents from 17 National Unions wishing to host a round of the record-breaking IRB Sevens World Series from 2015/16.The following unions submitted tenders to the IRB headquarters in Dublin: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, USA.Lapasset said: “We are delighted with the strong response from our Unions, cities and regional governments to the invitation to tender for the next cycle of our IRB Sevens World Series, beginning in 2015/16.”We have received tenders from Unions representing every continent, which is a great reflection of the enormous strength and prestige of the Rugby Sevens brand as we build towards our Olympic Games return at Rio 2016.”With its high-octane action on the field and festival atmosphere off it, Rugby Sevens is proving popular with cities and regional governments who see the great benefits of partnering with our Unions to tender for an event that brings significant benefit to the host destination.”More attendance and broadcast records for SevensThe 2013/14 HSBC Sevens World Series was a record-breaking success on and off the field, with 569,262 fans attending the nine events around the world.Sevens’ commercial and broadcast appeal was further highlighted by another record season for television broadcast, with 4,590 hours of coverage achieved across 145 countries. Live, delayed live and highlights programming was aired in 12 languages across 34 channels, with an estimated 400 million homes and 900 million people reached.For the first time, the IRB also streamed every minute of the action live on its website and, allowing fans to follow the action either on TV or online in every country in the world.
