All Nations Touch Tournament confirmed for Christchurch
1 December 2003
Christchurch has been confirmed as the host city for the inaugural All
Nations Touch Championships. The international tournament will be held at
Queen Elizabeth II Park 26-29 October, 2005.
The All Nations Touch Championships will involve International Masters
and Open age grade touch players, in men’s, women’s and mixed
teams.
The announcement of the awarding of the inaugural event to Christchurch
was met with enthusiasm by Touch New Zealand. The Federation of
International Touch (FIT) sanctioned the tournament at its general meeting
in late October
2003. FIT Secretary General Bill Ker wished Touch New Zealand and
Christchurch City Council every success with planning and staging of the
event in 2005.
The 2005 event will attract approximately 120 teams from 29 FIT
member nations, bringing some 1500 to 2000 people into the city
for the four-day tournament. This is expected to generate an economic
benefit running
into the millions of dollars for the city and the region.
The All Nations Touch Championships idea came about after the disappointment
of Touch NZ, in conjunction with Christchurch City Council, not
securing the hosting rights for the 2007 Masters and Open Touch
World Cup after a
bid in June this year. Subsequently, Christchurch City Council
put a proposition to Touch NZ to host an international touch tournament
in Christchurch at
Queen Elizabeth Park every four years.
The Leisure Manager for Christchurch City Council, Alistair Graham,
is thrilled to have finally secured a international touch event
for the city after 18 months of work. “Christchurch City Council is very grateful
to Touch New Zealand for securing this international touch tournament for
the city ,” he says. “This further enhances Christchurch’s
reputation for attracting and hosting large international sporting events. ”
Touch NZ has also recently confirmed that the 2005 Masters and Open Grade
Touch Nationals will be held in Christchurch at Queen Elizabeth II Park.
This event will attract 1600 people from all over New Zealand. Christchurch
last hosted this event in 1992. The 2005 Touch Nationals will provide an
excellent lead-in to the All Nations Touch Tournament.
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