Congratulations PE and Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

^^
has the announcement been officially made?

Now it has:

http://www.sarugby.co.za/article.aspx?category=sarugby/sevens&id=413608

Port Elizabeth named as new host of SA Sevens event
April 13, 2011
Port Elizabeth will host the South African leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, after coming out as clear winners in a competitive tendering process.

The announcement was made by the South African Rugby Union in Cape Town on Wednesday after the recommendation of a tender committee was accepted by the SARU Executive Council.

The inaugural Port Elizabeth event will be hosted at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in early December this year – and the winning bidders are already forecasting a sold-out event.

“I am delighted to be able to confirm that Port Elizabeth will host the Emirates Airlines SA Sevens for the next four years,” Jurie Roux, SARU CEO, told a media conference in Cape Town on Wednesday.

“We received some outstanding bids, but the panel came to the unanimous conclusion that the tender provided by the Eastern Province Kings and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was a clear winner.

“We measured them against four broad criteria – event hosting capacity; brand building potential for Sevens and SARU; commercial promise and budgetary viability – and their attention to detail in answering each one was outstanding.

“They not only satisfied the standards that we expected from all the bidders, they went the extra mile to research exactly what players, spectators and other stakeholders require and provided innovative solutions for each one.

“The Panel was convinced that Port Elizabeth will produce an absolutely outstanding tournament, based on this document. I’m looking forward to attending the first Port Elizabeth Sevens in December – I’m sure they’re going to take the event to another level.”

Mr Roux thanked the South Western Districts Rugby Union and the City of George for their work and success in hosting the tournament for the past nine seasons. He said that was reflected in the interest that had been generated among unions by the invitation to tender.

The other bidding unions were the Leopards, Pumas, South Western Districts and Western Province.

Cheeky Watson, the president of the Eastern Province Kings, said he was delighted by the outcome.

“We prepared an outstanding tender to deliver an outstanding tournament and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “Port Elizabeth and the whole of the Eastern Cape will be very excited about this decision and we can now begin to mobilise to deliver a memorable experience for the international rugby family.

“I’d like to thank the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality for their assistance in preparing the Bid and advise my team that the hard work starts today.”

The decision was welcomed by the International Rugby Board: “This is an exciting new chapter in South Africa’s long-standing relationship with Sevens Rugby and the HSBC Sevens World Series,” said IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset.

“On behalf of the international rugby family, and especially those who participated there, I would like to thank the city and the people of George for hosting South Africa’s event for nine years, and helping it to grow. We now look forward to the Sevens in a wonderful new stadium in Port Elizabeth and wish the organisers every success,” he added.

The IRB will confirm the dates of the Port Elizabeth event as well as of the rest of the HSBC Sevens World Series for 2011/12 in due course.

Fact File: SA Sevens tournament
• South Africa hosted the first tournament of the inaugural Sevens World Series in 1999 at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch
• Durban was the venue for the following two SA Sevens events in 2000 & 2001
• Outeniqua Park in George played host to the popular event for the first time in 2002 and went on to stage the tournament for nine consecutive years
• Port Elizabeth will be the fourth SA venue to host the international tournament
• New Zealand has won the SA Sevens tournament seven times
• The Kiwi’s won both Durban-based tournaments in 2001 & 2002 and achieved their first of five George victories in 2004
• South Africa’s only home success came in 2008, the season they won their first Sevens World Series title

Past host venues and winners of the SA Sevens tournament

2010: George - New Zealand
2009: George - New Zealand
2008: George - South Africa
2007: George - New Zealand
2006: George - New Zealand
2005: George - Fiji
2004: George - New Zealand
2003: George - England
2002: George - Fiji
2001: Durban - New Zealand
2000: Durban - New Zealand
1999: Stellenbosch - Fiji

gold coast got the aussie one today from Adelaide

I dont have a problem with them taking 7s out of the heartlands and traditional rugger cities/ biggest city, gold coast, PE, San Diego etc

Pity London still has one

Neither do I. The area around the stadium could do with some love.

But please don't create criteria like "events hosting capacity" and "commercial promise" and "brand building". I suspect Emirates with 0 flights to the City, and HSBC will disagree.

Just say that Cheeky and government struck a deal and move on.

Although I’m disappointed, it's better then George... and a great boost for PE

^^
well. everyone seemed to know the outcomes before the announcement. badly kept secret b saru

watson struck a deal with government? what was this deal? honest question.

i would have liked to see the event in cape town so i am a little bumbed. i havent read the bids or anything but it grinds me everytime cape town doesnt get selected for an event that people think that its as a result of politicking.

i wonder how much of a role ct stadium's zoning restrictions played

emirates doesnt fly to the gold coast either (brissie is 2hrs up the drag)

Maybe 7s, Super 15 soon and players luke Puke watson comming back will be the boost the EP rugby and its stadium needs.I agree its the worst of the SA venues for atmospehere pre and post game and has a shit enviroment surrounding it

One of the reasons given that it should be taken away from George was that Emirates can't fly directly here from Dubai after the previous weekend Dubai 7s. I don't know what makes Port Elizabeth different in that respect, being pretty much the same distance, having a 20metre shorter runway and also no international flights.

Ofcourse one would feel unhappy about the fact that a tournament like this is being taken away from your hometown, I do understand reasoning behind it and the greater economics thereof. Even though the tournament is always hosted during December, times when tourism is peaking already, it wouldn't impact much. I don't believe it attracted significant amounts of visitors from upcountry much, mostly from the region and possibly Cape Town. Thus said, I doubt at first it would attract full-house crowds in PE also, but all the best...

Now I just hope the Garden Route can get the World Golf Championship as consolation.

I'm all for it but NMB stadium is in between a residential area and factories. Show me the vision to add bars, restaurants and create a spectacular lakefront around the stadium, using this event as a catalyst.

But don't treat people like idiots saying things like the bids were based on "commercial promises, events hosting ability and branding benefits"

PE during World Cup 2010, PE during IRB Sevens. Not expecting much. If council doesn't change, an event will change nothing.

scandalous! the eastern cape always seems to be in favour with the anc government even though the province couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery! a trick has really been missed by nothing giving the event to cape town!

^^ I do not think the Eastern Cape should get nothing, but there is definitely political meddling in the decision. Neither Emirates nor HSBC would have it as their first choice. PE is no Gold Coast! PE has potential, but must do the basics first and improve the urban structure before it gets granted hosting rights to a plethora of events. The World Cup fans were mostly unanimous in stating PE was the weak-link in an otherwise, vibrant and exciting World Cup. It's not the layman Elizabethan's fault, but council must change, the City must become efficient and proactive, then they can host events. Events do not change a city, a changed city gets events.

^^haha, I was actually cracking up when I saw the announcement on TV last night already thinking about how the Kaapies will cry foul play on SSC. You okes see ghosts everywhere, there's always a political conspiracy behind every decision that does not favour CPT.

^^haha, I was actually cracking up when I saw the announcement on TV last night already thinking about how the Kaapies will cry foul play on SSC. You okes see ghosts everywhere, there's always a political conspiracy behind every decision that does not favour CPT.

“We measured them against four broad criteria – event hosting capacity; brand building potential for Sevens and SARU; commercial promise and budgetary viability – and their attention to detail in answering each one was outstanding.

Surely, you're not that dumb Nostra?

If they do go and do a revamp and get some restaurants and wotnot in, it could be OK. It probably is a political decision, but I am not against it per se - I think other cities in this country need some love and help.

But as far as the party atmosphere goes where 7s is concerned, plainly this is not the best choice.
As I said, I hope it sparks something there and they get on a roll.

All of us hoped the WC would spark something there.

Well, this is the way I look at it in my eternal optimism.

Durbs is getting the Olympics. Cape Town is getting an F1 race.

Let PE have the 7s and prove us all wrong...

PE has every right and chance of hosting a great event, but the WC certainly did not indicate a wilingness to do this.

^^haha, I was actually cracking up when I saw the announcement on TV last night already thinking about how the Kaapies will cry foul play on SSC. You okes see ghosts everywhere, there's always a political conspiracy behind every decision that does not favour CPT.

there is nothing wrong with knowing that we have the best city in africa. maybe if people from other cities in south africa showed even half the pride in their cities that cape town do such comments would be made redundant! it's easy for someone from johannesburg to sit back and comment because you guys always get the big sporting events even though ur stadiums (ellis park, wanderers) are always empty. cape town wasn't just a good choice in terms of marketing the event and south africa, it was a good choice in so far as that we have one of the best stadiums in the world crying out for sporting events! nelson mandela bay was poorly managed during the world cup and wasn't deserving in a head to head race with cape town or rustenburg for that matter!

there is nothing wrong with knowing that we have the best city in africa. maybe if people from other cities in south africa showed even half the pride in their cities that cape town do such comments would be made redundant! it's easy for someone from johannesburg to sit back and comment because you guys always get the big sporting events even though ur stadiums (ellis park, wanderers) are always empty. cape town wasn't just a good choice in terms of marketing the event and south africa, it was a good choice in so far as that we have one of the best stadiums in the world crying out for sporting events! nelson mandela bay was poorly managed during the world cup and wasn't deserving in a head to head race with cape town or rustenburg for that matter!

firstly there is a difference between pride and just sheer arrogance, secondly it's one thing to be proud of your city's achievements but it's quite another to be constantly running other people down in order to feel good about yourself.

“We measured them against four broad criteria – event hosting capacity; brand building potential for Sevens and SARU; commercial promise and budgetary viability – and their attention to detail in answering each one was outstanding.

Surely, you're not that dumb Nostra?

No I'm not mate, thanks for the concern though. I'm sure due to the work of you're ever-trusty sleuth, you'll soon be revealing (wikileaks-style) the compelling correspondence detailing the vile behind-the-scene deals that were struck to deprive CPT of what is rightfully theirs?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: *and Facepalm*

The ability to reason reasonably with reasonable people...

^^lol, you trying to be sarcastic or deep? Whatever it is, keep working at it, you'll eventually get the hang of it...

firstly there is a difference between pride and just sheer arrogance, secondly it's one thing to be proud of your city's achievements but it's quite another to be constantly running other people down in order to feel good about yourself.

nobody is running anyone down. the cold hard facts speak for themselves. is cape town a better destination that pe for the 7's? yes. is cape town a better destination than durban for the olympics? yes. so what if u think cape tonians are arrogant. we've had to live with that label for many years.. i think people's perceptions of our arrogance are based on their own jealousy.

well. i was just speaking to a friend who works in rugby journalism and is quite close to what was happening with the 7s bid. he is the one who told me of the decision a few days ago. was also reading some statements from saru(jurie roux). apparently e.p. bid document was exceptionally professional and detailed. roux himself said it was easily the most professional document of the lot. the wp document was reportedly not near that standard.

the descision on the venue was made in conjunction with the irb and the descision was actually made weeks ago-hence the leak. the irb asked saru to hold back the announcement to coincide with the aussie anouncement.

how is it fair to say that sarfu is being disengenious about the points the say they awarded the hosting rights based on; when you dont discuss how the bid documents specifically addressed these. eg, brand building potential. unless you read both documents and how they aim to address this you cant fault saru. basing it on popular held opinion; eg. cape town is more internationally recognised and has an iconic mountain is not enough. the descision was made on a bidding process and a document and the value proposition that the different bidders brought through THOSE documents.not the personal experience of people at saru and the irb. otherwise they would not have bothered with a bidding process.

you also need to determine how capable the actual people involved in running your event are and what they are bringing to the table. you cant say cape town is a well run city so the event will be run well when the individuals that are bidding dont display that. if someone has acess to the 2 bid documents to compare- please share

did cheeky watson pull the political heartstrings? probably. and it should be expected. if he did not highlight the strengths of region(whether percieved to be political or not) he would be doing his province a diservice. is this all his bid was based upon-from the reports of the quality of the ep document- sounds like it wasnt. personally i actually think that wp can make simalar arguments to ep about transforming rugby

i really dont get why the main sponsors, hsbc and emirates would be so opposed to p.e. why p.e. being an end destination for emirates should be that significant.

is it really that unfathomable that the descision was meritorious? why do capetonians have such a sense of entitlement. lets just see how pe goes and judge them then. this sense of superiority and belief that cape town is the only city with capable people in the country is absurd. its not much unlike the widely held view in the west that south africa was incapable of hosting the world cup and the, at times, rediculous doomsday warnings carried by western media. all ofwhich was based purely on pre judgement and prejudice.
often people think the only reasonable explanaition for choosing any other place over cape town is politics. unless of course that opinion is supported by evidence.

living in cape town i too fell victim to this smugness. an example is the way i thought about an olympic bid from sa.

then i went to durban after not having been there for a while and i got it. its plain to see why durban is so suited to a compact olympic games. all you have to do is open your mind and go there. the weather, the compact and comprehensive sporting precint is amazing. its almost like the urban planning of durban was concieved with an olympic precint in mind. the lesson i learnt there i guess is that not everything revolves around us and our mountain

so because the bid document was "exceptional" PE overnight had more commercial promise, revenue generatin potential and branding potential for SARU?

We both know thats rubbish. All credit for a pretty bid book.

Why do you think CT is hosting the 2012 IRB Junior World Cup and National Club Champs, conveniently announced before the IRB sevens announcment. Its called a consolation prize. Nobody is predicting doomsday for PE and the event. In fact if PE put all their resources into it, unlike the WC, it can be a fantastic event in an industrial area. Hopefully "creating" entertainment and excitement around the precinct because quite frankly its dead.

Competition between cities results in great countries. Handing events around based on politics is just a smack in the face of PE.

how is it fair to say that sarfu is being disengenious about the points the say they awarded the hosting rights based on; when you dont discuss how the bid documents specifically addressed these. eg, brand building potential. unless you read both documents and how they aim to address this you cant fault saru. basing it on popular held opinion; eg. cape town is more internationally recognised and has an iconic mountain is not enough. the descision was made on a bidding process and a document and the value proposition that the different bidders brought through THOSE documents.not the personal experience of people at saru and the irb. otherwise they would not have bothered with a bidding process.


Of course its based on a bid book but are you that naive to believe SARU of all organizations are oblivious to money and branding and sponsorships and commercial promise and ticketing ? Yes, it is unfathomable that the sponsors Emirates, with 3 daily direct flights to Cape Town and HSBC with a Cape Town office would select PE, ignoring all other reasons.

Are you suggesting that they closed their eyes to the reality of the potential of Cape Town's bid to rival that of Hong Kong?

Once again, welldone to PE, welldone on a pretty bid book, but on the SARU criteria, this is a political decision. I'm sure the relationship between the City of CT and WP Rugby did not help either.

^^ I do not doubt that Watson and PE put together a very great bid and a pretty bid book and good case. I do have a problem with SARU's reasoning though... it's stupid and a blatant lie!!! They're taking the rugby-watching public and sponsors for idiots. Thus why I agree with Mo. Had SARU just come out and said, "IRB Sevens was given to PE because of the development of the game and bringing Sevens to a different audience and fostering rugby-culture in the Eastern Cape." Then, I would have said fine, all power to them...

Truth: Cape Town can compete in ranks with Hong Kong and Gold Coast, PE cannot.

But they lie in their criterion. :ohno: Just tell the truth.

I read this but dont belive it, doubt a CT bid would have been amateurish

"They were comprehensively more professional than Cape Town," Roux told rugby365.com, when asked about the quality of the two bids.

It is believed that the Cape Town bid was the weakest of the five submitted to SARU and was described by some sources as "amateur" in its presentation.

Remember HSBC and EK are sponsers not owners of the tournament so they have a say but not a decision making one. If they dont like it they can leave and be replaced by Standard Chartered and Etihad. thats the thing with sponsers they come and go and I wouldent be too fused about their thoughts anyway when 1 billion people watch teh 7s globally over the year on telly

I think the point is being missed here. No matter what way one wants to turn the internal winner and proclamation of it - it is very evident that globally the 7s series is moving out of the main venues and cities and into the secondary cities. It seems to be a clearly planned positioning for the tournament by the IRB. Cape Town would not fit that bill - PE and George do.

So yes there might be some degree of smoke screening, but it is not at all unfathomable that PE put a better bid together that is more suited to the IRB's goals and ambitions for the event than Cape Town.

I can't agree with you at all.

Rio 2016. Olympic sport. Why go for Olympic inclusion if you want it in PE?

As for these "goals". SARU were clear. They were as highlighted. commercial criteria, branding potential, budget etc.

The IRB bid for Olympic inclusion which I followed closely was based on anything but being small and hosting it in small cities.