Intro
Hong Kong Sevens, otherwise known as the Rugby Sevens, is one of the biggest, if not the biggest sporting event on the Hong Kong calendar. The event always runs on a three-day schedule across Friday to Sunday, with joyous parties scheduled around the actual event. Hong Kong Sevens is a prestigious event on Hong Kong’s sporting calendar, with the HK Sevens this year taking place after the LA Sevens in August and before the Dubai Sevens in December. This year's Hong Kong Sevens will be from the 4th to the 6th of November at the magnificent Hong Kong Stadium.
What is Hong Kong Sevens?
Hong Kong Sevens is part of the greater World Rugby Sevens Series, however, even amongst all its counterparts, it has built its own reputation to be a stand-out “bucket-list” event on the entire calendar. Hong Kong Sevens is not only a valuable 3 days for keen local rugby fans, but also has almost always attracted thousands of overseas fans. Unfortunately, this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, tickets were only sold inside the city, but nonetheless, the thrill and excitement remain.
This year the HK Sevens will entail 16 of the best men's teams in the world performing in front of a 34,000 local crowd, including Australia, Argentina, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Samoa, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay and of course Hong Kong! Like always, the HK Sevens will award points to the winners, contributing to the final world Rugby standings.
COVID-19 Restrictions
This is the first time the HK Sevens games are running in three years, with the 2020 and 2021 seasons unfortunately being disrupted. As much as everyone is excited for the iconic HK Sevens games to be back, there are still some restrictions altering the original format of the event fans are so familiar with.
Firstly, and as alluded to earlier, the event is only being sold to local fans, with the capacity capped at 34,000 local fans. This in itself is a considerable alteration from the normal Sevens games, where Hong Kong attracts thousands of overseas fans and uses the Sevens as an opportunity to boost their tourism. Regardless, overseas fans can still enjoy the thrill of the HK sevens through online channels and enjoy its contribution to the overall World Series.
Continuing on, usually, the event hosts Sevens events for children such as the traditional “Mini March Past” and the “Mini / Youth Showcase games” that take place before the actual games. However, this year for the November games this will not be taking place to ensure the event maintains a “safe bubble” to minimize breaches of health regulations.
Lastly, there will only be Men's matches taking place instead of both Women’s and Men’s teams participating. This is due to the November event being added as an additional 11th event in the 2023 calendar, hence it would not be feasible to add an additional Women's games in the HK Sevens considering the concurrent running of the Women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
However, all this does mean that the regularly scheduled HK Sevens games that have always taken place around April are scheduled to continue in 2023, a positive sign towards renewed normalcy back into the city and the World Rugby Series.
Influence of Sevens on Hong Kong
If it’s not evident already, the Sevens is a huge part of Hong Kong culture and has a warm place in many locals' hearts - providing lots of exciting memories and experiences to many. The Sevens not only is a great way to relax and enjoy the prominent sport of Rugby in Hong Kong but also a great way to get into the sport, whether that be as a player or a fan. Through the Sevens, many children and students have been inspired to get into the sport and lead a more active lifestyle.
Nonetheless, no matter what reason you choose to watch the Sevens, the return of the event has brought immense joy and culture back into the city, reminding us all of how life used to be before 2020.
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Written by : Tisya Gupta
Edited by : Eric Wang
Graphics by : Summer Guo
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