Lineen, the Glasgow Warriors and Scotland A head coach, will be the public figurehead for the tournament being held in Edinburgh in June 2011. The 29-times capped Grand Slam winner helped bring the sport of touch to Scotland in the early 1990s, and it has grown rapidly in popularity and participant numbers since.

Sean Lineen said: “Hosting the Touch World Cup 2011 in Edinburgh is a great opportunity to showcase this fast- growing and dynamic sport and to see its best athletes in action. Touch is an excellent sport for all; it has great skills, it's excellent for keeping active and fit, it's fun to play and it has a great social environment around it.”

The quadrennial Touch World Cup is the most prestigious event in the sport's calendar. Next year's tournament will be the seventh touch world cup and the first ever held in Europe. At least 1,700 competitors from an estimated 25 nations will take part in the five-day event Edinburgh's Peffermill Sports Ground from 22 to 26 June 2011.

Touch, or touch rugby as it is also known, is a popular and fast-growing non-contact team sport played by both men and women and by a broad spectrum of the community. The world cup is for adults, in three open-age and six senior divisions, but the sport is also popular with children and young people across the world.

The direct economic impact of the event is conservatively estimated to be an additional £1.5 million to the city. The Scottish Touch Association (STA) won the right to hold the Touch World Cup during the 2007 cup in South Africa, and is working with partners EventScotland and City of Edinburgh Council.

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, the national events agency, said: “Touch is a rapidly growing sport in Scotland and it is estimated that more than 5,000 people now regularly play in organised competitions around the country. Its popularity here, combined with an unrivalled reputation for hosting major rugby tournaments, will make Scotland a fantastic host for Touch World Cup 2011 and we're excited to be the first European host for this prestigious event.

“We have already had entries from 107 teams from more than 20 countries, which translates into an influx of more than 1700 players plus coaches and support staff to the city of Edinburgh; a number that will generate impressive bed nights and economic impact for Scotland next summer.”

Scottish Touch Association president Peter Faassen de Heer said: “We are delighted to have someone of Sean Lineen's calibre join the Touch World Cup as the official ambassador. Not only is Sean a respected international rugby coach and player, but he was instrumental in starting the game of touch in Scotland in the 1990s. From there, the sport has grown massively in both Scotland and Europe over the past decade. We are hugely excited to be hosting the Touch World Cup and welcoming the world's best players to Edinburgh in 2011; a lot of hard work has been done so far and there is more ahead as we look forward to an exciting competition and the legacy the event will leave here.”

Councillor Steve Cardownie, Festivals and Events Champion for the City of Edinburgh, said: "Next summer's Touch World Cup is further proof of Edinburgh's well-earned reputation as a prime destination for world class sporting events. It's terrific news that so many countries have already signed up for the event - we're very much looking forward to seeing the teams work with our aspiring young touch rugby stars to develop the sport in Edinburgh.

"We are working in partnership with the STA on their youth programme and will be opening this year's Festival of Sport with a Touch Youth Festival for S1 schoolchildren across the city. We hope this will be a trial run almost for next year's World Cup event where the participating countries will work with local schools. The teams will also offer their support in the Touch World Cup youth festival, which is scheduled to take place prior to the opening ceremony."

For further information or to request interviews please contact:
Sharon McKinley, PR and Media Relations Manager at EventScotland:
Tel: 0131 472 2286
Mobile: 07795 541 608
Email: Sharon.mckinley@eventscotland.org