New Zealand on target - Snedden
Chris Foley
A year out from hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup the organisers
maintain the foundations of the promised "Stadium of Four Million" are
well in place despite the problems they still face.
Ticket sales are meeting expectations and most stadium upgrades are
on track but there are questions about security, liquor laws and
accommodation that need to be addressed.
Genial organising committee boss Martin Snedden is confident it will
all come together even though many of the issues are outside his
control.
The "Stadium of Four Million was a great bid concept and, with only
12 months to go, I am sure that, step by step, our 'stadium' is truly
coming to life," he said.
Earthquake
Snedden believes the Cup planning has covered every eventuality
including the possibility of an earthquake such as the powerful tremor
that devastated Christchurch last weekend.
A preliminary assessment of Christchurch's AMI Stadium, which will
host five pool games and two quarter-finals, indicated no structural
damage but "a heap of minor breakages", Snedden said.
The quake struck just days after the organisers had looked
specifically at how such a situation would be handled if it were to
arise during the tournament.
"It's just a reminder that it's just not theory, it actually can
happen, and that will no doubt focus us even further."
Main centres
Of the stadiums in the other main centres, the showpiece venue at
Auckland's Eden Park is undergoing a 240 million dollar redevelopment
which is scheduled to be finished well before the opening match between
the All Blacks and Tonga on September 9.
However, Wellington's Westpac Stadium needs to be completely reclad
because of a problem with leaks, and construction of Dunedin's new
stadium, New Zealand's first with a roof, is on a tight deadline.
The southern city's aged Carisbrook Stadium, whose facilities are
often criticised as outdated, will be resurrected as a back up venue.
Stadium security has also been targetted with a weekly newspaper
exposing glaring problems.
AFP |
