In 2019, the Rugby World Cup (RWC), named after the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, will be held in Japan, the first time the tournament has been held in Asia since its birth in 1987.
Recently, the trophy of the Rugby World Cup, the Weber Ellis Cup, came to Asia first and visited China. In order to warm up for the upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, the Weber Ellis Cup kicked off a round of traveling exhibitions to 18 countries, with Beijing being the sixth stop.
Rugby participation in Asia has seen strong growth in recent years, with more than 500,000 new participants through the Impact Beyond programme of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Brett Gosper, CEO of the World Rugby Federation, said: "The popularity of the sport is progressing rapidly in Asia, and China in particular offers a huge opportunity for rugby to grow. According to a Nielsen study, more than 33 million fans in China have expressed interest or great interest in rugby. We look forward to working closely with relevant departments to continue to promote the development of rugby in China in terms of structure and facilities." “
During this visit to Beijing, the Weber Ellis Trophy Touring Exhibition will arrive at China Agricultural University. In 1990, Professor Cao Xihuan of China Agricultural University introduced rugby to China and established China's first rugby team.
On Saturday, the trophy arrives at the Great Wall and a Get Into Rugby event is held at the foot of the Great Wall to organize a rugby experience for teenagers. The Get Into Rugby project is part of the World Rugby Federation's strategy to develop the sport of rugby on a global scale through member regions and member associations. According to the Asian Rugby Federation, as of the end of November 2017, there were more than 680,000 Get Into Rugby project participants in Asia, more than all other regions, with 36% of them being women.
![Refunded! Starting next month, it's about your personal tax[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)