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Kamaishi Rugby World Cup venue completes temporary stands

The construction of two temporary stands at Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium, the only new venue developed for Japan’s staging of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, has been completed.

The venue officially opened its doors in August 2018 with World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont stating at the time that it will act as a “beacon for hope” following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated the city.

Kamaishi, which is located in Iwate Prefecture – around 500km north of Tokyo – has a strong rugby history and was selected as one of the 12 World Cup venues in March 2015.

The 6,000-capacity stadium has been expanded to just over 10,000 with the addition of the two new temporary stands. They will remain in place for the two Rugby World Cup matches scheduled in the city.

Built on the former site of the local elementary and junior high schools on a riverside area of land in the Unosumai area, construction of the stadium began in April 2017.

The stadium was built at an estimated cost of 3.9 billion yen (£27.7m/€30.9m/$35.3m) largely covered by central government subsidies. The stadium operator said a large video screen system and other equipment would be installed prior to the tournament.

The Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium will host Fiji versus Uruguay in Pool D on September 25, 2019, followed by the Pool B match on October 13 between Namibia and Canada.

Image: World Rugby