Stadium planned: Kenya loses bid to host IRB world series events, but KRU to try again

President Uhuru Kenyatta shares a light a moment with the Kenya Rugby Sevens National Team Captain,Andrew Amonde during the flag-presentation ceremony at State House, Nairobi.

Kenya has plans to build a purpose driven rugby stadium.

This will put them in good stead for a future bid for the annual hosting of a round of the IRB (International Rugby Board) HSBC Sevens World Series.

The project is an initiative of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who according to Kenya Rugby Union (KRU), has put Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, Dr Fred Matiang’i, and his Sports, Art & Culture counterpart, Dr Hassan Wario in charge of its visualization.

The IRB are due to announce countries to host the World Series in a new schedule starting in 2015/16.

Sources indicate Kenya will not be among them as the chance had already gone to Singapore, Vancouver (Canada) and Paris (France), who replace incumbents Tokyo (Japan), Las Vegas (USA) and Glasgow (Scotland).

The KRU chairman Mwangi Muthee, had already issued a statement regarding the expected outcome saying: “Competition (for the hosting rights) is tight. Everybody wants the Sevens, there are so many capable hosts and if one misses out, he has just to take it on the chin.”

“Nothing is official yet but we have been in telephone contact with IRB,” he said yesterday.

He said Kenya was upbeat with the morale boost gained from the bid attempt.

“We had a strong bid and this is thanks to the support the KRU got from our sponsors Safaricom Limited, led by Rita Okuthe.

We also need to thank the other members of the bid team that was assembled early this year including and not limited to the Rugby Patrons Society represented by Vice-Chairman Aggrey Chabeda and former KRU CEO Jack Okoth.

Others were Nairobi County Government, Kenya Tourism Board, Brand Kenya, Zuku, The Attorney General, former Ipsos Synovate MD Maggie Ireri, Stadia Management Board, Ministry of Sports Culture & Arts, and expert consultants Trans Africa Media from South Africa represented by Kelvin Watt.

“There is so much goodwill from the rest of the world for a Series round to be held in Kenya and even if that doesn’t happen now, it will be in the very near future. The country should concentrate on putting up ideal facilities,” he said.

He said Government support had included commitment to build a rugby-purpose complex and efforts over the project were ongoing.

“Without having made the bid, it’d have taken longer for the country to appreciate and take steps to put up the required facilities to host an IRB event.

“That now has been kick-started. It is a wonderful thing to look forward to,” Muthee said.

The Kenya bid was based on hosting the championship in the 60,000 Safaricom Stadium in Nairobi which has a tartan running track around a football pitch.

Up to 30,000 people per day attend the annual Safaricom Sevens events staged there.

Leading World Series’ venues in the world do not have a running track and are smaller, compact facilities hosting an average 40,000 people which, even when not packed create a passionate atmosphere.

Singapore, the reported new hosts, have a 55,000-seater national stadium, which opened in June. It has a $1 billion (Sh85 billion) Sports Hub complex including a new aquatic centre and an existing 13,000-capacity indoor stadium, which will host tennis’s season-ending WTA World Tour Finals for the next four years.

A source told AFP an official announcement was expected later this week. Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) officials declined comment.

Singaporeans immediately said the deal is a shot in the arm for the SRU, after the city-state in October lost out to Japan as the preferred host nation for Super Rugby’s 18th team.