New Zealand marked 100 days to the start of the Rugby World Cup on Wednesday by rolling out a welcome mat on the steps of Parliament and promising fans the hospitality of "a stadium of four million people."
The slogan refers to New Zealand's population and advertises a country almost uniquely devoted to rugby. But it also, unconsciously, highlights the fact this may be the last Cup solely hosted by a nation as small as New Zealand.
The tournament is the fourth-largest sports event in the world in terms of global television audience after the FIFA football World Cup, the Summer Olympics and the Tour de France. Increasing staging costs have made it likely future tournaments will only be hosted by rugby's wealthiest participants.
England paid a $140 million fee to the International Rugby Board to host the 2015 tournament and Japan paid almost $190 million for the 2019 event. The 2015 Cup is expected to earn the IRB around 200 million pounds ($320 million) in broadcasting rights, sponsorship and merchandizing and to inject around 2.1 billion pounds ($3.3 billion) into the British economy.
Experts have found it more difficult to quantify the economic benefits to New Zealand from this year's tournament. The organizing committee expects to spend around NZ$300 million ($240 million) in staging the tournament and to receive around NZ$268 million (US$214 million) in ticket sales, its only source of revenue as host.
The tournament is expected to leave organizers with a deficit of around NZ$39 million ($31 million) which jointly will be met by taxpayers and the New Zealand Rugby Union.
The wider economic costs and benefits to New Zealand are more difficult to estimate. Organizers expect as many as 85,000 overseas visitors will flock to New Zealand during the tournament but the global economic downturn has made that figure less certain.
Some economists believe New Zealand will spend more than NZ$700 million ($570 million) on infrastructure projects including airport upgrades, roads and public transport directly associated with the Cup. In turn, some economists believe the return to the country from tourist spending and other sources may be as low as NZ$150 million ($123 million).
New Zealand is recovering from the setback of a deadly earthquake which rocked Christchurch in late February which killed more than 180 people and forced World Cup organizers to relocate seven matches because of damage to infrastructure, hotels and the rugby stadium in the south island hub city.
The mood of Prime Minister John Key, as he rolled out the welcome mat on Wednesday with IRB vice president Bill Beaumont, was decidedly upbeat. The welcome mat featured greetings in the languages of each of the tournament's 20 participating nations.
Beaumont said he was confident of New Zealand's state of readiness for the World Cup, with the first match between the All Blacks and Tonga 100 days away.
"Preparations are well on track," he said. "Tomorrow I will visit the ... Otago Stadium which will be handed over to tournament organizers in August as planned."
The Otago Stadium, in Dunedin, has been specially built for the World Cup and will not have held an international sports event before the tournament. While there have been some construction delays, Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden said it would be handed over to its new owners on Aug. 1, as planned.
