Organisers of the ongoing Rugby World Cup in Japan have taken the unusual step of allowing fans to take their own food into stadia following a shortage of products in venues over the opening few days of the tournament.
The World Cup got underway on Friday as host nation Japan defeated Russia, with a further six matches taking place over the weekend. At some matches, stadia sold out of food options, prompting complaints from fans.
Organisers admitted that the situation is “not befitting” of the tournament and as a result fans have been permitted to take their own food into grounds on match days. The change was introduced ahead of Wales’ win over Georgia earlier today (Monday).
In a statement reported by the Reuters news agency, the organising committee said: “The opening weekend has demonstrated that the level of service is not befitting that of a Rugby World Cup with some fans experiencing queuing delays and some vendors prematurely running out of some food options.
“With fan experience a major priority, the organising committee, in consultation with World Rugby, has taken the decision to allow fans to bring a reasonable amount of food into the venue for personal consumption from today.”
“As per normal for a Rugby World Cup, fans will not be able to bring beverages into venues.”
There has been no shortage of alcohol in stadia, with organisers stating that beer and soft drinks provision has been “significantly increased” in venues.
In other news, fans who attended Saturday’s match between Australia and Fiji at the Sapporo Dome (pictured) have voiced their concerns over the speed with which they were able to leave the venue.
Japanese news agency Kyodo noted that only a limited number of doorways were opened following the match, which caused major bottlenecks on the concourses of the 41,000-seat venue.
Image: Rugby World Cup
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