It is hoped Queenstown will soon finalise a deal to host the three international Rugby Championship teams, providing an economic shot in the arm for the beleaguered tourist mecca.
Photo: 123rf.com
The tournament is due to be held in New Zealand from 7 November until 12 December.
Queenstown Lakes mayor Jim Boult said he was confident the town could host South Africa, Australia and Argentina's teams, both for a managed isolation period and throughout the tournament's two-month run.
"At this stage, of course, it depends on the Covid situation but we're pretty hopeful that this is going to come off. The Rugby Union, from speaking to them a couple of days ago, also share that view and this would be great thing for our district to host these three teams," he said.
"My understanding is the teams are all terribly enthusiastic about being based in Queenstown for the time of the championship. It's a pretty attractive place to come."
The idea arose at the suggestion of Megan Woods, the minister in charge of isolation facilities, after she ruled out Queenstown as a location for managed isolation facilities but mooted whether it might be better suited for hosting sports.
"Providing we can be assured locals are going to be safe from any isolation issues, I think it's a very big positive for us," Boult said.
"My main concern [in hosting managed isolation] was around the lack of medical facilities in the district. We have a very small hospital which is under pressure at this time of the year from ski accidents.
"The difference here is that these folk are all young, fit people travelling with their own medical staff, their own support staff and I think the degree of exposure is way less than just ordinary people turning up with all the other issues we've seen elsewhere around the country attached to that."
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Boult hoped to hear in the next week or so whether it was full-steam ahead, and if so it would be massive for the town.
"Two-hundred hotel rooms for two months - it's a big boost. But a feel good factor for the town as well.
"We've started some initial thinking around holding events for each of the teams to welcome them into the town"
Could the All Blacks and Springboks play in Queenstown? Mayor Jim Boult hopes so. Photo: Photosport
Despite its relatively small population, the district also had a decent expat community with plenty of links to the three Rugby Championship nations.
But Boult was not just pushing for hosting the teams, but also a game in the town.
"That is under consideration. Yes, the Rugby Union has to think about the dollars and cents side of it but if it was to be held in Queenstown we'd be working very hard to put in plenty of temporary grandstand seating and whatever else was needed to make it work," he said.
"I would imagine we'd get a fair old portion of the district along together with a fair bit of Otago and Southland along to see it as well.
"If we were lucky enough to get a game we'd be encouraging our local folk, assuming it's not an All Black game because that'd probably be a bit of a stretch, to take a bipartisan approach to supporting the teams."
Whether games would be held in front of crowds - or indeed at all - depended on New Zealand's control of Covid-19 but New Zealand Rugby proved at the weekend it could hold games behind closed doors as the Highlanders and Hurricanes played in front of an empty Forsyth Barr Stadium at alert level 2 in Dunedin at the weekend.
