Dubai: The French people are quite upbeat of reaping the benefits of hosting an international event like the Rugby World Cup in 2023, according to a top official of the country’s rugby body.
France has declared itself as one of the nations — Ireland and South Africa being the other two — who have bid for hosting the rugby spectacle in 2023. An independent survey has shown that more than 80 per cent of the French are currently in favour of hosting the Rugby World Cup, while another 77 per cent are convinced on the attractive economic benefits for the European nation.
“It is all about economics when it comes to hosting a Rugby World Cup in France. We have the main elements for a successful Rugby World Cup, namely the stadia, the people to watch and a history to go along,” Bernard Laporte, President of French Rugby Federation (FFR) told Gulf News on the sidelines of a press conference on Saturday.
“Following last year’s Euro, we have some really big stadiums at our disposal, and then we have a lot of people who love rugby. There are 66 million people in France alone who are involved in either playing or watching the sport,” he added.
With a few months to go before the host is revealed on November 15, the French are even more in support of the World Cup as they go up for a vote against bids from Ireland and South Africa. If awarded, it will be the first time for Ireland, while South Africa have hosted and won in 1995 and France made it to the semi-finals as co-hosts in 2007 when Laporte was the national team coach.
“In 2007, France had a fantastic World Cup, and we can safely hope to have an even bigger and better World Cup in 2023,” Laporte noted.
A total of 2.5 million tickets are expected to be sold over the competition’s timespan, and the fallout for the tourism industry would be significant for all 12 host cities. The survey further shows that one-fourth of the French population are willing to actively associate with the event, either as volunteers or by purchasing tickets to attend, while another 69 per cent are ready to root for the French squad.
“This survey once again proves that an entire nation wants to host the World Rugby Cup. The French know that hosting an event of this kind will be a uniting experience and have a positive impact on our country. The massive backing of the French people is a major asset in our bid,” Laporte said.
That said, the FFR president observed that Rugby Unions from across the world need to unite developing rugby at the grassroots. France has decided to recruit more than 200 coaches before the end of the year to spread rugby across the country while continuing its developmental push.
“Since the past 30 years, we have had the same handful of nations playing at the highest level. We need to pay attention to take our game forward, and this can be done only if the children receive education and training in the game,” he remarked.
