The City of Cape Town has confirmed its plan to bid for the right to host the South African leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series for three more years.

The local leg of the series has been held at the Cape Town Stadium for the past four years – 2015 through to 2018 – and the city council has already set its sights on a three-year extension from 2019 to 2022.

According to a statement from the City, the council has approved a request to bid for the event again and it is now negotiating with SA Rugby to secure the deal.

‘SA Rugby approached the City of Cape Town to put in a bid to host the World Rugby Sevens Series during the 2019-2022 financial years. This highly popular international event’s contribution to the City’s gross domestic product increased from R539-million in 2015 to R765-million in 2017,’ read the statement.

‘Council’s approval grants the City authority to submit a bid for the tournament for the next three financial years, 2019-2022. Should we be successful, the City of Cape Town, the Cape Town Stadium RF (SOC Limited) and SA Rugby will negotiate and formalise a memorandum of agreement that will stipulate the rights and responsibilities of each party.

‘Given the resounding success of the 2018 event, the City has confirmed it will provide support in the amount of R2.5-million per financial year for event-related services should we win the hosting rights.

‘Given that most of the spectators were from outside of Cape Town, this influx of visitors translated into a significant economic boost for the local economy. Most of the international visitors extend their stay beyond the tournament dates which further boosts the local tourism economy. This in turn holds immense benefits for the City’s residents by way of job creation, support for local businesses and entrepreneurs.’