COMMENT: A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR WORLD RUGBY
We, at equitysport, congratulate England, Australia and the USA on their successful bids to host the Rugby World Cups up until 2033.
We are disappointed that World Rugby has spurned an opportunity to act as a 'first mover' among international federations in re-imagining sporting tournaments in ways that would better serve the world at large in and out of rugby and in doing so, take the sport to even greater heights.
England have been confirmed as hosts of the 2025 women’s World Cup, Australia will host the men’s World Cup in 2027 and the women’s in 2029 and the United States will host the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2031 and 2033 respectively. We, at equitysport, are confident that all three hosts will deliver tremendously successful events.
As an organisation that exists to advance equality, promote diversity and extend equal opportunities in and through the *entire* sporting world, we are naturally disappointed that the cost of hosting the Rugby World Cup, and the bidding process design makes the pool of potential bidders restricted to just a handful of major economic powers.
The benefits of hosting the Rugby World Cup, both in and through the game, will be enjoyed by England, Australia and New Zealand for decades to come; whilst in the regions that sport has chosen to leave behind, the opportunity to deliver accelerated, but sustainable growth through imaginative major tournament hosting has been lost for another decade.
If sport is serious about expanding the definition of what constitutes world sport, it must radically shift away from its obsession with commercial gigantism, and toward tournaments that are both economically and ecologically viable to a greater number of potential bidders.
At equitysport, we look to the future and see enormous potential for tournaments like the Rugby World Cup not just to grow the game of rugby union in its heartlands, or where the commercial potential is greatest, but also to act as an engine and a driver for the advancement of society in the world at large.
We imagine a sporting world where sports like rugby could bravely embrace and advance new ideas and concepts through supraregional, collaborative, cross-union, cross-government funded competitions in places like South Asia, South & Central America and East Africa.
We imagine tournaments that would see international federations, like World Rugby, and regional governments working in union to deliver not only world-leading sporting spectacles, but also technological and infrastructural innovations in the realms of transport, housing, and job creation. Innovations that will improve people’s quality of life in truly meaningful ways, in the places that need it most urgently, long after the final whistle has been blown and the circus has packed up and gone home.
We believe that’s the kind of sporting world that contributes, substantively, to building a brighter, more inclusive, more equitable and more prosperous world. That’s the kind of sporting world that lives true to its stated values; and that’s the kind of sporting world that understands its true value to society.
equitysport is a values-led registered charity (1189559) that exists to advance equality, promote diversity and extend equal opportunity in and through global sport. We seek an inclusive and equitable sporting ecosystem that lives true to the values of sport.
For interviews or further comment from equitysport, please contact the team via hello@equitysport.org