SPORTS

World series — good thing no cheap

 Samat on unday

AFTER five continuous years of investment in the SINGER-SRILANKAN International Sevens, it is understandable if sponsors want the event elevated to another level. Presently, it is no more than an event organized by a club, with SLRFU sanction. Organizers Kandy SC have done an admirable job of it, but, no cynicism intended, the world outside views a club-organized Sevens event, of which there are many, something of a holiday bash.

To be fair though, the Kandy organizers have done their utmost to give the tournament a more serious profile. What began in 1999 as a 10-country Asian tournament was, in the next year, expanded to a 16-nation event, including European countries. An African country, Kenya, was added last year and this year there was further enrichment with the participation of Cook Islands, the New Zealand centurions and Australian Potoroos, not exactly the All Blacks and Wallabies, but worthy enough to appreciably enhance the quality of the event in Kandy.

But for the fact that national teams do not represent New Zealand, Australia and inexcusably Sri Lanka, the lineup of countries, albeit in names, isn’t far behind those that feature in a world series tournament. The exception of course is the 24-nation magnificent Hong Kong Sevens, but then any World Series tournament is someway behind the 28-year-old daddy of them all. So, Singer chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya’s insistence on IRB status for the event is understandable. If the teams are of international class, then, he might well argue, why is it official recognition cannot be obtained. A valid point there.

Other considerations

But a World Series Sevens is not only about the quality of teams that play. There are other considerations. And no one knows them better than George Simpkin, the newly appointed SLRFU Technical Director with a history of a long and intimate association with the Hong Kong Sevens. ‘’If the cost for the present tournament is Rs.15million, the triple it for a World Series event,” said Simpkin, a New Zealander.

Before the financial details, the implications of being a part of IRB’s World Series have to be stated. For a start, the event will become wholly owned by the IRB, though the organization on the ground will be the responsibility of the host country. In effect, the hosts would’ve signed away their independence to the IRB, even though the former would have to pick up all of the tabs. This necessarily wouldn’t be a bad thing, in so far as team representation. Being an IRB event, there’s a guarantee that countries would send their strongest teams, which, one suspects, is sadly not happening presently with some Asian countries sending out pseudo national teams.

As well, the prospect of having the likes of the All Blacks, Fiji or the Wallabies playing here isn’t as remote as it is now. After all, the IRB asking top nations to play in Sri Lanka is not the same thing as Kandy SC requesting the same. But the problem is that some of the IRB invitees, like USA, Fiji, Argentina, Canada or South Africa, may be outside sponsor SriLankan’s flight zones, which means organizers will have to fork out for their flights to the closest destination the National carrier flies. There’s also the matter of prize money; Hong Kong puts up US$100, 000, and though no one would expect Sri Lanka to match that figure, a respectable amount, say, half Hong Kong’s purse, would have to be offered.  ‘’The expenses for a World Series tournament could run up to US$ 200, 000,” said Simpkin.

As well, the television rights will belong to the IRB. The event commands a worldwide audience, and having as it does tremendous advertising potential, television companies are known to splash big bucks to buy up the broadcasting rights, all of which is funnelled into IRB’s coffers.  So, what does the host country get for all its troubles?  Only the gate money, and if attendance over the last four years is anything to go by, then the big bucks have to be found from elsewhere. Despite free admission so far, the stadium rafters have hardly been put to the test, though the numbers have been visibly on the increase. Corporate boxes can be profitable, however. Local organizers will do well to learn how the Hong Kong RFU marketed its corporate boxes and made then into money trees, really.

As if the said spending isn’t enough, organizers will also have to contend with the US$ 100, 000 that the IRB charges for the right to host its tournament. Of course, the IRB does make exceptions, as it did to Beijing two years ago in an attempt to influence the inclusion of rugby in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Sri Lanka had a good case for requesting IRB concession on the rights fee. Being the most actively engaged of all the sub-continental countries in rugby, Sri Lanka, through the Singer-SriLankan Sevens, could have projected itself as the development hub for the region, same as Hong Kong was to China, which Simpkin headed. But in withdrawing the invitation to India, participant since inception and the only from the subcontinent, that claim probably has lost its validity.

So, while IRB status is sought, the first question to ask is if we can afford it. It is naïve to think Singer ask for the event’s elevation in ignorance of the financial implications. Singer (Sri Lanka) sponsorship of the Singer Cup international one-day cricket series in Singapore and the Singer-Akai Cup in Sharjah in the mid-90s, with support of Singer International, probably offers a clue what the company has in mind if IRB sanction is achieved. As well, the prospect of roping in of more supplementary sponsors for a World Series tournament is a lot better than for the current tournament.

The hard truth, thus, is that IRB status doesn’t come cheap. According to Simpkin, some past hosts yet owe dues to the IRB, and in the case of the Malaysian RFU, the hosting of the IRB event ‘’drove them to bankruptcy”.  It is not exactly a secret that only Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore have honoured their payments to the IRB. Against that background, it is justifiable to assume, that there are reluctant takers for the World Series - most previous host countries burnt by the misguided belief that they can duplicate the Hong Kong Sevens, in a hurry at that. The Hong Kong Sevens is one of a kind, perfected through 28 years of organizing it.

Clearly, big money and patience would be the first pre-requisites for a World Series Sevens - forget overnight success. Frankly, the advantages to be had are more from economics than sport. The Hong Kong government sees its Sevens as a valuable contributor to its economy and backs the event, mainly through promotional work by its Tourist Board; financially, the event more than pays for itself. It would be advisable for organizers to get a government commitment that the World Series event would be regarded as a tourist undertaking and be given due support, which no doubt will inspire greater involvement by sponsors.

The hosting of a successful IRB Sevens presents tremendous potential for the country, provided its not viewed short term by the desire to recoup investments quickly. With the promise it holds out, it is tragic that internal feuding threatens to kill it off before birth.  Even before the idea of hosting a World Series event is thought of, it goes without saying, what would be required is oneness of mind among officials. But when they can’t decide if a national team, which it should be, or the strangely named Tuskers should represent the country, then the desired IRB recognition is surely going to be lost in a jungle of differing opinions. 

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