BBC to cover Touch World Cup 2019 in Malaysia

Press Release - Putrajaya, Malaysia (27 April 2019)

The 2019 Touch World Cup starting in Putrajaya on 29 April will be extensively covered by BBC Sport, the first time the sport’s global showpiece has received such exposure.

Five hours of matches will be live streamed daily on the BBC Sport website and app, as well as the iPlayer (UK only) from the 117-team event that has attracted 2,400 of the world’s best Touch players to the repurposed Taman Ekuestrian Complex in Putrajaya. 

The Touch World Cup – the biggest ever in the tournament’s history – will run between 29 April – 4 May, with the Malaysian Minister for Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman opening the global sporting showcase.

This global coverage is in addition to the extensive exposure on the Federation of International Touch (FIT) YouTube channel, which will cover many of the 13 fields used at the event.

Gary Reynolds, FIT Tournament Director, is delighted that BBC Sport has agreed to live stream the Touch World Cup.

“Having a broadcaster as prestigious as the BBC cover the Touch World Cup is a significant step forward for our sport,” he commented, “and it will showcase the event to a wider audience outside the traditional Touch community.

“On behalf of FIT, I’d like to thank the BBC for their support for the tournament, as well as Gregg Cropper and Chris Wearmouth from England Touch for making this agreement possible.

“This is the largest ever Touch World Cup with 117 teams from 26 nations competing over six packed days. There will be plenty of exciting action throughout the week for sports lovers to enjoy.”

Live streaming is now a regular feature of Touch tournaments across the globe, and viewing figures have been growing all the time along with participation and engagement in this exciting sport.

Over the last 12 months BBC Sport has covered several tournaments, including the 2018 European Touch Championships in Nottingham, England, as well as the Finals Day of the England Touch Nationals.

FIT has retained the services of UK-based 24/7 Media to manage the live streaming, utilising the production company’s experience both from the European Touch Championships and England Touch’s National Touch Series, as well as a wide range of other events.

UK audiences can catch the action from the 2019 Touch World Cup on the BBC from 6 am to 11 am, which is 1 pm to 6 pm Malaysian time. Australian viewers can watch matches live between 3 pm and 8 pm Australia Eastern Standard Time.

About the 2019 Touch World Cup

• This is the ninth Touch World Cup, an event which is held every four years
• Being staged in Putrajaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between Monday, April 29th and Saturday, May 4th, 2019
• 117 teams from 26 nations, a 30 percent increase from 2015. Nations are entering from every continent
• 11 categories featuring both fully mixed and single gender teams, including Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Mixed Open, Women’s 27s, Men’s 30s, Mixed 30s, Women’s 35s, Men’s 35s, Men’s 40s, Men’s 45s, Men’s 50s
• All matches last 40 minutes with a five-minute half-time
• While sharing some features with other codes of rugby, Touch is a distinct and unique sport, and has grown rapidly since its founding in 1968, especially in the past decade
• The Federation of International Touch has 41 affiliated member nations, with millions of men, women, boys and girls taking part in formal and social competitions across the globe

For further media information, contact Gary Reynolds, FIT Tournament Director on [email protected]