SHORT CASE ILLUSTRATION Internationalizing events: Rugby Sevens Top level sport is by its nature Intemational. If you want to be the best in any sport it has to be proven through international competition. International sport is also highly competitive in a dil- ferent some. The various sports vie with each other for International attention, global television audiences and global success. Football, particularly the large European leagues (Spain's Primera Division, Germany's Bundesliga; England's Premier League and Italy's Serie A) and the World Cup held every four years command global attention as do the Olympic Games and American Football, Other sports have to compete for such attention. One of the ways managers of many sports have competed is by 'Interationalizing' sports events by organizing sports events in countries around the world thereby spreading interest and raising com- marcial revenue. Thus the sports of tennis, golf, motor racing, snooker and badminton for example have successful and growing tours where events are staged in succession in countries around the world. In some cases, such as the annual lucrative Formula 1 Motor Racing tour, cities compete with each other for the rights to stage one of the events. In recent years Singapore was successful in this process and in 2008 singed the world's first El Grand Prix at night on its Marina Bay circuit.Rugby Union is a physical contact sport played with 15 player on each side which originated in late nineiconth century England at Rugby School- hence the name. ithas grown to become a worldwide `pont with a loyal following. but success in this physically demanding sport has been concentrated In relatively low countries with New Zealand having the pre eminent record of achievement in the sport The Rugby World Cup organized by the sport's govaming body (the International Rugby Board held every four years since 1917 has spread Interest in the game. However, the game has complex rules. is usually played in winter and it is difficult to win without having physically large playeng all of which serve somewhat to inhibit its global reach As with other sports bouch as cricket and football shorter faster verilom of the game have been cloveloped to help spread In appeal, Thus, rugby sevens (which licelf hara long history)hasspread In recent years as the game has secured commercial pomorship and tolavision covemya. With a version of the game involving seven players It has developed rapidly to become a 'global game with an annual worldwide series of events and Olympic recognition in Rio de Janeiro, 2016. International competitions have featured for many years with the Hong Kong Seven: compell tion (dating from 1976) attracting International tourists to Hong Kong from many countries for the annual competition and playing a significant part in raking the tourist profile of the Special Administrative Region. The sevens form of the game in played throughout ine year is loos physically demanding but favmin athleticism and is for theriot In lengthy with simpler rules. in mmull It lands tell in tournament rather than one oil formats, can be followed more easily by casual spectators rather than rugby allclonados, and represents an attractive package for television The profile of sevans rugby has grown considerably with the advent of the mine Sevens World Series which is an annual sailed of International inurnamenia run by tie International Rugby Board featuring national teams and spamarea by Hisnic bank. The series, organized for the first time in the 1909 2000 season, was formed to develop an elite level competition series between rugby nations and develop the sevens game into a viable commercial product for the IRS, The series has developed Inis an annual competidon hold between October and April of nine venues around the world in Australia Dubai South Africa USA, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Scotland and England, Singe Its Inception team from some 16 countries have been involved, and both spectator numbers and television revenues have increased considerably Questions 1. How would you categories the international growth al sevens rugby utilizing the concepts of Yip and Porter covered In this chaptart What are the difficulties and opportunities that might be encountered in internationalizing in this way