A British & Irish Lions tour played in empty stadiums could mean the South African economy losing up to R8 billion in potential revenue, according to a local report.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that the eight-match tour is set to go ahead in South Africa as originally planned, after the contingency to relocate the tour to the UK was dismissed by the Lions board.
The decision to align in keeping the tour in South Africa was made as the Lions board could not secure a guarantee from the UK government to underwrite the costs for relocating the tour. It was also not clear whether UK stadiums would be ready to return to a minimum required 25% capacity by the time the tour rolled around in July.
It is hoped that holding the tour in…