The tsunami-ravaged city of Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, was named as one of 12 sites that will host matches for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The tsunami-ravaged city of Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, was named as one of 12 sites that will host matches for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Rugby World Cup Ltd., the organization commissioned by World Rugby to manage the games, announced the venues for the ninth Rugby World Cup, the first to be held in Asia, on March 2 in Dublin.
“We want the games to accelerate reconstruction efforts,” said Yoshihito Nakata, a 46-year-old Kamaishi resident who organized a petition to bring the World Cup to his hometown with former classmates on his high school rugby team. “It will be a chance for our children to reclaim their confidence and pride in their hometown, and bring hope for the future.”
Hundreds of Kamaishi residents died or went missing after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake struck, spawning a tsunami that destroyed much of the coastal city.
Tokyo, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe and Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, were also chosen among the 15 candidates to host the games scheduled for September and October 2019.
One reason that smaller municipalities like Kamaishi were chosen was the popularity of rugby in the areas. Organizers hope their stadiums will be used long after the World Cup concludes.
Japanese rugby authorities are also considering holding national matches and domestic league games in the host cities before the 2019 World Cup.
The Japan Rugby Football Union is hoping to double its 107,673 registered players and supporters as of fiscal 2013 by the time the World Cup begins.