Japan unveils lion mascots for Rugby World Cup

Blending its love of all things cute with its rich cultural heritage, Japan yesterday unveiled the mascots for the 2019 Rugby World Cup: a pair of pot-bellied lions.With luxurious manes, short horns and faces that appear to be shaped like rugby balls, mascots “Ren” and “G” are inspired by “shishi,” the mythical lion-like figure that features in Japan’s new year celebrations and kabuki theatre.“Ren,” with a white mane is the parent of child “G”, whose mane is red, and the pair bounced up and down, trading high-fives and passing a rugby ball back-and-forth at a press conference in Tokyo.The pair, chosen from among 50 candidates, “represent the culture of host Japan” and “convey the message that it would be the first World Cup in Japan and in Asia,” said Shogo Miyata, an official from the 2019 organising committee.They are the first mascots for a Rugby World Cup since 1999, and will be competing for attention with a plethora of cutesy mascots, which in Japan promote everything from local regions to prisons.“Mascots are symbolic in Japan,” said Rob Abernethy, executive director of the World Cup.“The story behind our mascots will create connections, a bond between the Japanese people, rugby and its value,” he said.Japan will host the Rugby World Cup just a year before the 2020 Olympics.Three sets of potential Olympic mascots are currently vying for the votes of Japanese schoolchildren, with the result expected to be announced next month.First wave of tickets to go on sale TodayFans from around the world will be able to purchase tickets for the Japan 2019 Rugby World Cup from today.General ballot applications for Team Packs and Stadium Packs — allowingfans to follow their favourite team through the group stage or basethemselves in a particular host city — will go on sale.Applications will be accepted until the middle of February.Tickets for the tournament had previously only been available to aselect number of people who are members of the “Japan rugby family” orJapanese club team supporters.A World Rugby spokesman said there had been strong demand for tickets inJapan and he expected the same level of excitement globally in theticket packs to be launched on Saturday.“Excitement across Japan is building,” the spokesman said. “On Friday,the organising committee launched the official mascot and we are seeing agreat deal of host city engagement, which points to a tournament thatwill deliver an exceptional experience for travelling fans.”Japan 2019 represents the first time the Rugby World Cup will be held inAsia and also the first time it will be hosted by a country outside thetraditional heartlands of the sport in western Europe and the southernhemisphere.The tournament will be held from Sept. 20 — Nov. 2, 2019.