RWC 2011

I am amazed at the poor press the RWC 2011 seems to be getting from some print media over the  supposed costs of running the tournament. Some print media have been a little spurious with their number crunching  including figures for things like the new Dunedin stadium upgrade that was going to happen regardless of the RWC 2011 as this distorts the figures to support their story. The Dunedin folk decided they needed a new stadium as Carisbrook was not meeting international sports requirements so it's very timely that it will be finished in time to hold RWC 2011 matches. By all reports the stadium is a fantastic addition for Dunedin and already as a multi use stadium they have attracted concerts - Elton John will play his only NZ concert later this year in Dunedin and its a covered stadium so inclement weather won't be a problem - adding potential value to the Dunedin economy already.

From my limited knowledge countries hosting Olympic games, Commonwealth games, World cups etc have always known they would not make a profit from the games - In fact Montreal has just paid off its debt in the last year or so from the 1976 Olympics and the FIFA Football World Cup in 2010 has set back South Africa many millions of rand and has stadiums that will never be used again - and there's a long list of many more countries!

For my money the RWC 2011 event is not a 1 month or 2 months thing - very much like Lord of the Rings. If we, the stadium of 4 million in Gods own,  do it right and give our guests a great time, as hosts we will reap the benefits for many years to come, as guests will be going home to tell their friends and work mates what a fantastic place NZ is and how well they were treated and hosted.The up side is potentially additional business and we all should be interested in that.

To find out more info on RWC 2011 www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/activities.html