Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Tokyo
In many ways, the Rugby World Cup was a mini dress rehearsal for Japan, as it gears up to host an even bigger sporting event next year: the Tokyo Olympics.
While there are many differences — far fewer countries participated in the Rugby World Cup but it was spread out over 12 host cities — there are some lessons Tokyo 2020 can learn from the tournament.
Contingency planning
Rugby World Cup organisers spent hundreds of hours gaming out every possible scenario for what would happen if a typhoon, earthquake or volcano struck a venue in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active countries that is also battered by hurricanes each year. In the end, even the worst-case scenario planning was insufficient as Hagibis, one of the largest and most powerful typhoons in recent years, reared up from the Pacific and took direct aim at Tokyo. Changing venues was impossible as the storm covered practically the entire Japanese archipelago.
Japanese fans rockTokyo 2020 already has no concerns about filling the stadiums — tickets could have been sold several times over — and the Japanese fans melted many hearts at the Rugby World Cup. While they may not have been familiar with all the finer points of rugby, they cheered enthusiastically and fairly for all the teams, creating a sensational atmosphere remarked upon by all competing nations.
Get the kit in
If the Rugby World Cup is anything to go by, Olympic organisers should make sure they are fully stocked on memorabilia and replica clothing. Spurred by the brilliance of the home team, sales of the Brave Blossoms replica shirts exploded, with long queues forming outside specialist clothing shops several hours before they opened.
Not just Japan team shirts proved to be popular , but the famous All Black jersey was a particular favourite as well. — AFP
Springboks’ Du Toit, Erasmus take home World Rugby gongs
Tokyo: South African flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit was named World Rugby player of the year at a glitzy ceremony in Tokyo today, with Rassie Erasmus claiming the coaching award, fresh from securing the World Cup title on Saturday. Du Toit was a colossus for the Springboks during the World Cup and dominated the breakdown during the final win over England, helping South Africa secure seven turnovers and proving a menace for the English throughout the match. He also made 11 tackles and set up fellow player of the year nominee Cheslin Kolbe for the decisive final try in the 32-12 win.
