High Demand for Rugby World Cup Tickets -- Federation Focus

(ATR) Demand significantly exceeded supply for the initial phase of the ticketing program for the Rugby World Cup 2019.

World Rugby says a total of 864,000 ticket applications from more than 100 countries were received during the opening priority sales phase, which consisted of team and stadium pack sales. Only 300,000 tickets were allocated.

Those who won the right to buy the tickets had to pay for them by today (March 7) or else lose them.

Applicants who were not successful in this initial phase will have additional opportunities to apply for tickets in 2018 and 2019. The next window, for host cities residents’ priority group ballots, is from March 19 to April 12.

"We are delighted with the initial demand for Rugby World Cup 2019 tickets more than a year out from the tournament, which demonstrates the domestic and international attraction of Asia’s first Rugby World Cup," said World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont.

"This strong demand for tickets reflects the excitement that we are feeling the length and breadth of Japan," Japan Rugby 2019 CEO Akira Shimazu added.

"Significant applications from the host cities show that this tournament is connecting with people beyond the host cities, while the team packs show that this nation will warmly embrace all teams and visiting fans."

Lake Placid to Host 2023 Winter World University Games

Lake Placid, New York is officially the choice to host the 2023 Winter World University Games.

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) and local organizers signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Lausanne last week. Lake Placid, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980, was the site of the Winter World University Games in 1972.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the decision on Monday, saying ""Lake Placid is the perfect location to host this event, which will showcase the very best of New York and the North County to an international audience."

The Adirondack North Country Global Sports Committee and FISU have until June 15 to finalize a formal agreement. Once the contract is signed, an official organizing committee will be created and the work of executing the Games will begin in earnest.

This is the third event that Lake Placid has landed in the last few months. Last summer, Lake Placid was chosen to host the 2019 International Children's Games and the 2021 Bobsled and Skeleton World Championships.

Vitaly Mutko No Longer Involved With 2026 World Cup

Vitaly Mutko relinquishes his last role tied to this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Mutko remains a Russian Deputy Prime Minister but has been replaced as chairman of the local organizing committee by another deputy minister Arkadiy Dvorkovich, according to multiple reports.

Dvorkovich will take over Mutko’s remaining responsibilities of coordinating the tournament at a government level.

Mutko had previously quit as head of the World Cup organizing committee and Russian Football Union after being implicated in Russia’s state-sponsored doping scheme.

The IOC banned Mutko for life from the Olympic Games as part of his "failure to respect" anti-doping rules as Russian sports minister. Mutko was not implicated in a role in the state sponsored doping system but the IOC banned him due to his role as minister overseeing Sochi preparations. He has until March 15 to appeal the ban.

Mutko has yet to face any sanctions from football.

IAAF Teaming Up With Ticketmaster

The IAAF announces that Ticketmaster will be the sole ticketing services provider for the international governing body of athletics from 2019 to 2021.

Under the agreement, Ticketmaster will provide access to their consolidated ticketing platform to local organizing committees for all of the IAAF’s global events.

"Finding new solutions that help our local organizing committees access our global fan base and that help our fans access events more efficiently is key to creating long-term relationships between fans, athletes and athletics," IAAF Chief Executive Officer Olivier Gers said in a statement.

The IAAF believes that having one ticketing service partner will significantly simplify the ticketing process for the federation and its event organizers, ensuring a consistent experience for athletics fans no matter what part of the world they live in.

Written by Gerard Farek

For general comments or questions,click here.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.