JFR attendees took a break from the congress on Sunday to enjoy the thrilling climax of the Rugby World Cup final in the Siemens Healthcare booth. All images courtesy of Dr. Robert Lavayssière.
Blue-sky thinking was the order of the day at JFR, as the autumn sunshine arrived in Paris. Registration was still expected to be more than 18,000.Siemens Healthcare and EOS Imaging were among the exhibitors who showed the action from Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, and large crowds of delegates gathered in the technical exhibition to watch the finale to the tournament. They were eager to cheer on the valiant away team, who were huge underdogs for the match.
"There was nearly nobody on the streets or at the JFR during the match, which was shown on TV monitors at some booths," commented one JFR delegate, who although not a sports fan, found himself absorbed by the contest.
EOS Imaging showed the World Cup final in its JFR booth.The All Blacks led 5-0 at halftime and looked likely to be easy winners when they extended their lead to 8-0 with a penalty kick. France then fought back with a try by captain Thierry Dusautoir, and the team pressed incredibly hard during the final 30 minutes. But France eventually lost 8-7.
The fine weekend weather proved to be another distraction during the congress, but the organizers remained confident that total attendance would beat last year's figure of 18,000.
