No vuvuzelas at RWC 2011 but giant rugby ball in Sydney
Download this page in PDF format
Rugby fans won’t have to contend with the sound of vuvuzelas at next year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
The loud South African horns made their presence felt at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, but their honking and parping will be absent from next year’s big rugger-fest.
Asked whether vuvuzelas would be permitted in the stands, Rugby World Cup chief exectuive Martin Snedden gave an emphatic ‘no’.
“We looked at that – and there were plenty of people arguing that it adds to the colour and flavour,” Snedden told e-Global Travel News.
“The feedback we had was that the overwhelming majority of people thought that it was really detrimental to the spectator experience. And it’s peculiarly a South African thing anyway; it’s not something that would easily catch on in New Zealand, I don’t think. We are not going to give that one a chance!”
The Rugby World Cup is one of the world’s largest events after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. It will attract an estimated television and online audience of 4 billion people around the world, as well as an estimated 21,000 Australian visitors to the tournament in New Zealand.
Few fans are likely to mourn the lack of blaring, droning horns at matches. Far more interesting is the giant rugby football bigger than a house that has been installed at Circular Quay in Sydney, right opposite Sydney Opera House.
The enormous rugby ball will be there for nine days.
Giant Rugby Ball opposite Opera House
Tourism New Zealand’s Giant Rugby Ball is actually a state-of-the-art venue created to stimulate interest in New Zealand and the upcoming Rugby World Cup. Measuring 25 metres long, 17 metres wide and 13 metres high, the Ball will be open until 12 September 2010, showcasing New Zealand’s culture, landscapes and people through a multi-media experience inside the inflated structure.
The installation coincides with the Bledisloe Cup match on 11 September and kicks off the one year countdown until Rugby World Cup 2011. The All Blacks have already won the Bledisloe series, retaining the Cup for the eighth consecutive year.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive, Kevin Bowler, said Sydney’s Circular Quay was the perfect location to host the Ball due to its global appeal and stunning surrounds.
“Iconic locations from around the world have been chosen to host the Ball to help raise awareness of New Zealand as host country of the Rugby World Cup and to showcase all the amazing and diverse experiences we have to offer. Sydney’s Circular Quay, encompassing the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, is one of Australia’s most spectacular landmarks and with the Ball will form one of the most striking landscapes yet,” Mr Bowler stated.
Outside the Ball, visitors are being entertained with a music and cultural festival during the day and eye-catching imagery projected onto the outside of the Ball at night.
Festivities around the Ball will reflect the nationwide festival which will run throughout New Zealand during Rugby World Cup 2011. Festival Director Briony Ellis says the programme will showcase some of the best of New Zealand, including a line-up of top New Zealand bands who are scheduled for guest appearances at the Ball.
“The festival for Rugby World Cup 2011 will offer Australians a chance to engage with real New Zealand – our arts, culture, stories and people – with reasons to take the long way round to get from match to match throughout the country, and even to stay a bit longer to experience ‘our place’.”
Up to 18,000 Australians are expected to go through the Giant Rugby Ball. Royalty, dignitaries, sports stars and celebrities are some of the 40,000 international visitors who have already enjoyed the experience.
People can visit the Ball from mid-morning each day free – check the website (www.newzealand.com/giantrugbyball) for opening times and festival details. Tours run every half hour on the hour and visitors can pre-book for priority queuing at www.newzealand.com/giantrugbyball.
Written by Peter Needham
