HONG KONG – Rugby fans and players cheered the return of the Hong Kong Sevens on Friday as the city’s highest-profile sporting event was held after a three-year Covid-19 hiatus, though safety protocols meant crowds were smaller than before.

The Sevens, last held in 2019, comes after scores of events have been cancelled, postponed or rerouted to other Asian cities such as Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul due to Hong Kong’s rigid coronavirus rules.

Known for its festival vibe and fancy dress costumes, the three-day tournament is traditionally a major draw for visitors and big corporates. Spectators all wearing mandatory face masks streamed into the stadium – kept at 85 per cent capacity (about 34,000) – as music blared.

Resident Donald Knapp, 56, said it was great to be attending, even with the various coronavirus rules, which include providing proof of a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) on a government app to enter the stadium.

“We are all used to RAT tests... QR codes... I look forward to some outstanding rugby,” he said.

The tournament coincides with a global banking summit, which drew top Wall Street executives in a bid to restore the city’s reputation as a global financial hub. Both events have been pitched as an attempt to show that the Chinese special administrative region can resume business as normal.

Hong Kong has ended the requirement for hotel quarantine on arrival, but international visitors are banned from bars and restaurants for the first three days of their visit.

Masks are still required unless eating or drinking and proof of Covid-19 vaccination and checking in with the government app are required to enter most venues.

Around 50 per cent of Sevens spectators came from overseas in 2019, with the event contributing around HK$400 million (S$72 million) to Hong Kong’s economy.

This year’s international spectators will be “down significantly”, organiser Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) said, with the 2022 event more “locally focused”.

Corporate box sales, which raked in HK$116 million in 2019, are down year-on-year, in line with expectations, HKRU said. With many of Hong Kong’s restrictions lifted only recently, many companies have had little time to plan for the event.

The government confirmed that food would be allowed into the venue only in October.

“We welcome the new measures of course, but they are likely coming a bit late in the day for November, “ HKRU said.

HSBC and the city’s flagship airline Cathay Pacific are the two main sponsors of the Sevens. Noel Quinn, the chief executive of HSBC, said that the return of the event is “an important milestone after a difficult few years”.

Alex McQueen, 34, a player on Hong Kong’s team, said they were excited and had prepared as much as possible.

“We just get on with everything... we are hoping it can return to as big an event as it previously was before Covid,” he said.

All players are in closed-loop bubbles so they have no contact with the public, but they are mostly thrilled to return to Hong Kong.

Luke Treharne, who captained Wales’ Sevens team and played in the Hong Kong tournament from 2015 to 2019, said players always looked forward to the Hong Kong event as it has one of the best atmospheres. 

“There’s such a big buzz around the city leading up to the event and then it all kicks off,” the 29-year-old said in an interview with Bloomberg News. 

HKRU chairman Chris Brooke also told Bloomberg that organisers are not intending to enforce the Covid-19 restrictions in a “heavy-handed” manner.

He added: “The vibe this week has been very positive. I don’t think it (the restrictions) will detract from the fun of the weekend.

“Hong Kong’s been missing big events, this is a good sign that Hong Kong is back.”
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG