Dublin – Ireland, July 13, 2012: CAR Africa Cup, In a major boost for the profile of Rugby across Africa, the Confédération Africaine de Rugby’s (CAR) showcase Africa Cup Division 1A tournament is being broadcast to an unprecedented number of countries in the region.
The Africa Cup 2012 champions will be crowned on Saturday when Uganda take on Zimbabwe at the Jemmel Stadium in Tunisia (1700 GMT) in a final that is set to enjoy record exposure thanks to the groundbreaking deal between CAR and newly-appointed media partner, LC2 Medias.
With Rugby participation in Africa having increased by 33 per cent since 2007 and more than 80 per cent of players under the age of 20, the deal is intended to broaden exposure of a sport that continues to capture the hearts and minds of African people by providing a direct feed to broadcasters and a free website stream.
LC2 Medias have committed to showing both the final and the third place play-off match between Tunisia and 2011 champions Kenya via the Tunisian National Broadcasting Corporation. The matches will be broadcast across 41 territories and streamed globally via the LC2 website at www.lc2international.tv.
“We are delighted the Africa Cup 2012 has already created some momentous matches and thrilling Rugby, and is capturing the emotions of all African Rugby fans, especially those with an eye on England 2015,” said CAR President Abdelaziz Bougja.
“With LC2 Medias now on board we can capitalize on the increasing levels of interest in Rugby across the continent and engage more fans than ever before in the journey for African nations to Rugby World Cup 2015 and in our other leading tournaments.”
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby in Africa continues to blossom and this exciting new deal will ensure that more people in Africa can engage with and enjoy a sport that is reaching out to record numbers of men, women and children across the region.”
“The IRB is committed to working in partnership with CAR to further the growth and profile of Rugby to enable African nations to be more competitive on the global stage and ultimately more competitive at Rugby World Cup.”
Earlier this month, Madascascar caused a huge upset by defeating Rugby World Cup 2011 participants Namibia in front of more than 40,000 fans to claim the Africa Cup Division 1B title, and with it the chance to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.
Madagascar will replace the losing team from Tunisia v Kenya match (1500 GMT) in Division 1A next year. The winner of this Division in 2014 will qualify directly for Rugby World Cup 2015 as Africa 1, and the runner-up will enter the Répechage. —– IRB
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