The opening ceremony for the Rugby World Cup 2015 gets underway this evening, with the first match (England vs Fiji) kicking off at 8pm.
DHL is the official logistics partner of the Rugby World Cup, and has been kind enough to send us a breakdown of what it takes to deliver the biggest sporting event of the year.
- 48,200kg of team freight from the 20 participating nations is being delivered for the Tournament, with 26 18-ton vehicles covering about 57,000 miles over the event’s duration
- DHL will be relocating team equipment 192 times, and delivering 300 official match balls and 20 sets of uprights, to the 13 match venues
- Training equipment is being delivered to teams across 38 training venues throughout the tournament, to include 2,140 drinks bottles, 1,750 bibs, 1,200 cones, 560 tackle suits, 307 hit shields, 196 tackle bags and 20 scrum machines
- DHL has delivered over 400,000 tickets internationally to more than 160 countries, of the 2.4m tickets being sold; the furthest delivery was to Invercargill in New Zealand, almost 12,000 miles from London.
In short, all the freight and logistics for all 19 visiting teams, which is clearly a much bigger deal in the case of New Zealand than for Wales. The former, of course, being among the teams more likely to be returning home with something extra.
The company’s support has also covered stadium infrastructure and fit-out, and delivery of doping samples to testing laboratories, among many other requirements.
Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express said: “DHL has been planning meticulously with England Rugby 2015 over the last two years to ensure the ultimate competition in the world Rugby calendar is an unqualified success.
“Harnessing our global network capabilities and working behind-the-scenes throughout the Tournament, DHL is committed to delivering a seamless logistics operation so that the players and their support teams can focus on bringing their best game to the pitch, making Rugby World Cup 2015 memorable for fans whether they’re watching from the stands or across the globe.”
England Rugby 2015’s chief operating officer, Neil Snowball, said: “We would like to extend our thanks to DHL for their support in helping us to plan and deliver the complex freight and logistics requirements for Rugby World Cup 2015. DHL are leaders in the field and their high level service has allowed our freight and logistics team, lead by Shaun Day, to ensure the best possible operation is in place for all our stakeholders.”
DHL also took care of the international Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour, showcasing the Webb Ellis Cup to audiences around the world, culminating in a 100-day tour of the UK and Ireland to mark the final countdown to kick-off.
The company also helped select 48 children who will each deliver the official match ball to the games during the tournament. The ball for the opening match at Twickenham will be delivered by 13 year-old Fijian schoolboy Manueli Rauqeuqe.