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10
Insight
The devastating impact of natural disasters in New Zealand and
Japan and the continuing unrest in the Middle East is creating
problems for some of the world’s major sporting events.
With New Zealand hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup from 9th
September to 23rd October, matches due to be played at the
AMI Stadium (pictured) in Christchurch have been moved.
The stadium suffered major structural damage caused by the
earthquake which struck on 22nd February and will not be fit for
purpose in time for the start of the tournament in September.
The pitch sustained serious liquefaction - when soil behaves
like liquid – and the stadium itself suffered structural damage
when the quake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter Scale,
struck.
The Crowne Plaza, the five-star hotel allocated to England’s
squad for their scheduled four-week stay in Christchurch, was
also seriously damaged by the quake.
With an estimated 80 per cent of roads impassable, a third of
buildings damaged and major utilities all seriously hit by the
quake, the national and city authorities are set to plough their
resources into rebuilding the city instead of making the stadium
a priority.
Three of the five Rugby World Cup pool matches that were to
have been held in Christchurch will remain in the South Island.
Nelson, Dunedin and Invercargill will each host an additional
match, with the remaining two to be held in Wellington and
North Harbour on Auckland’s North Shore.
The two quarter-finals, due to be played in Christchurch on 8th
and 9th October, will be played at Eden Park in Auckland.
The rescheduled matches mean Argentina will play England
in Dunedin on 10th September, Australia plays Italy at North
Harbour, Auckland on 11th September, England faces Georgia
in Dunedin on 18 September, Argentina plays Scotland in
Wellington on 25th September, and Australia plays Russia at
Nelson on 1st October.
As part of the rescheduling, one non-Christchurch match,
Scotland against Georgia, will be moved from Dunedin to
Invercargill on 14 September, for operational reasons.
Rugby World Cup Ltd chairman Bernard Lapasset said that all
tournament stakeholders had been supportive throughout the
rescheduling process.
“Following the difficult decision to transfer the Christchurch
matches, all involved have worked hard to confirm the new
venues as quickly as possible. We are pleased that three of the
five matches will remain in the South Island,” Lapasset said.
Rugby NZ (RNZ) 2011 also announced that the new fully enclosed
Otago Stadium in Dunedin, which is nearing completion, has met
the criteria to be confirmed as a World Cup match venue.
Organisers also said that ticket purchasers for all Christchurch
matches and Scotland’s game against Georgia match will receive
a refund and the opportunity to secure replacement tickets to the
rescheduled matches during a priority purchase period.
The deadly 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan
in March has resulted in the Japanese MotoGP being postponed
until later in the season. The race is staged in Motegi, and although
it did not suffer irreparable damage itself, the road network
between Motegi and Tokyo has been heavily damaged, making
the staging of a major event in the MotoGP season unlikely.
The race, originally set for 24th April, has now been rescheduled
for 2nd October, and is the second year in succession the
Japanese race date has been changed. The first being during
the volcanic ash crisis in Iceland last year, when an ash cloud
prevented the majority of the teams from flying from Europe to
reach the Far East circuit.
This year’s MotoGP season began on 20th March in Losail, Qatar,
and runs until the 6th November with the final round in Spain – the
home of reigning World champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Meanwhile, Formula One’s Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled
because of anti-government protests and political unrest in the
country. The race was due to open the new season on 13th
March.
Organisers of the Bahrain Grand Prix have been given until 1st
May to prove the postponed Formula One race will be able to go
ahead later in the season.
The Formula One season consequently opened in Melbourne
with the Australian Grand Prix on 27th March.
Natural disasters and civil
unrest take toll on sports events