Wales or Ireland might have to change out of their traditional jerseys if drawn together at the 2027 Rugby World Cup as World Rugby pushes ahead with plans to help color-blind fans by avoiding red-green kit clashes, Britain’s i reported.
The newspaper reported that about one in 12 men have some form of color blindness — with the condition lower among women — and added that there might be more than 3,000 fans who struggle to distinguish between colors in an average game.
Red-green color blindness is the most common form.
Photo: AP
“From our perspective, if you’re potentially limiting 8 percent of your male audience, that’s a huge, huge number of people who are suddenly switching off,” World Rugby research, turf and equipment manager Marc Douglas told the newspaper.
Last month, World Rugby in partnership with Colour Blind Awareness published a set of guidelines to help people involved in the sport facing challenges due to the condition.
The document highlighted the implications of color blindness in the areas of kit clashes, equipment and TV coverage among others, with World Rugby saying that it would work toward adopting them and encouraging stakeholders to support its effort.
“Hopefully by the time Rugby World Cup 2027 comes ’round, this is the norm,” Douglas said.
In 2019, a “See Green” Google Chrome extension was developed to help color-blind Irish fans watch their team at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The technology allowed fans to adjust colors on screens.
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont, who is color-blind, last month said that the condition was “largely misunderstood,” and the challenges for those who play, coach, officiate and support the sport are often overlooked.
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