New Rugby World Cup venue a memorial to Japan’s 2011 earthquake
The recently-opened Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium - the only newly-built facility of the 12 venues that will host 2019 Rugby World Cup games - is helping the local community in the Iwate Prefecture rally around rugby following the devastation caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Opened last month with a symbolic match between the local Kamaishi Seawaves Rugby Football Club and Top League side Yamaha Júbilo, the 16,000 capacity venue will play host to two Rugby World Cup matches next year.
The match was the culmination of a weekend of rugby-themed events marking the beginning of a new chapter in the remarkable story of Kamaishi, a city for which rugby plays such an important role.
The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and the tsunami that followed brought considerable devastation and loss of life to Kamaishi and the surrounding area. A bustling port town on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, Kamaishi bore the full force of the tsunami as it came ashore in the north east of Japan. Throughout the area, 30% of homes were either damaged or destroyed, 60% of businesses were completely inundated, and 98% of the local fishing fleet was wiped out.
Players from the local rugby team, while initially focused on supporting the relief and recovery effort, were encouraged by the people of Kamaishi to return to the rugby pitch as quickly as possible to begin training for the upcoming season. Being a town so closely tied to its rugby team, rugby was recognised as an important way of helping to bring a sense of normal life back to the people of the city during a time of incredible hardship.
On 5th June, 2011, less than three months after the earthquake and tsunami, Kamaishi welcomed Yamaha Júbilo for the first match of the season. It was therefore highly symbolic and with a great sense of pride that the people of Kamaishi and the Seawaves Rugby Football Club welcomed Yamaha Júbilo back for this special memorial match to mark the opening of the new stadium.
Kamaishi has a long and successful rugby history. The previous local team, Nippon Steel won seven consecutive national championships between 1979 and 1985, earning them the nickname, ‘The Northern Iron Men’.
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont commented “the opening of the Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium marks a very special moment on the journey to Rugby World Cup 2019. The stadium stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of the people of Kamaishi and will act as a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come, providing an important legacy for the future of this region of Japan that has rugby at its heart.
“Rugby World Cup will bring four top international teams, thousands of fans and the attention of the world to the region next year and promises to be one of the highlights of the event. World Rugby will continue to work closely with the organising committee and the Iwate Prefecture to ensure that the venue is a success, both for the Rugby World Cup, and for the future of the region.”
Built on the former site of the local Elementary and Junior High Schools, construction of the stadium began in April 2017. The Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium is the only newly-built facility of the 12 Rugby World Cup venues.
With a permanent capacity for 6,000 spectators, 10,000 additional temporary seats will be added for the two Rugby World Cup fixtures.
The Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium will host Fiji versus Uruguay in Pool D on 25th September, 2019, followed by the Pool B match on 13rd October between Namibia and the winner of the repechage tournament, which will take place in November in Marseille, France.
Rugby World Cup 2019 will be the first time the tournament will be held in Asia and will see 48 matches played across 12 host cities stretching from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu.
Image shows the match between the Kamaishi Seawaves Rugby Football Club and Top League side Yamaha Júbilo at Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium. Courtesy of Rugby World Cup Japan.
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