Kenya moves closer to host world rugby championships

Kenya moved closer to hosting the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens after being shortlisted with seven other countries by the International Rugby Board (IRB).

The other bidders include South Africa, Australia, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia and the United States, the east African country's rugby officials said here on Wednesday.

The IRB council will comprehensively review the tenders and select the host of the 2009 World Cup Sevens in April next year.

"We have a unique tournament, the Safari Sevens which is a premier tournament in Africa and perhaps one of the best organized in the same league with others in the IRB circuit," Kenya Rugby Football Union chairman Richard Omwela told reporters in Nairobi.

Omwela said the Kenya Rugby Football Union had also submitted a bid to host a leg of IRB series but they were not considered.

One of the bargaining chips for the east African nation is the ability by a third-world country to stage a quality tournament in a serene atmosphere where some of the teams could combine play with sightseeing.

Last year, sevens legend Waisale Serevi was in Kenya and gave Safari Sevens top marks.

The 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens will be the first to include a women's competition, taking place alongside the men's event. The tournament will consist of 24 men's and 16 women's teams.

Source: Xinhua