Able to welcome crowds Hong Kong Sevens deemed a 'resounding success'

After more than three years away, last weekend’s Hong Kong Rugby Sevens has lived up to its reputation as the administrative region’s landmark sporting event, welcoming over 65,000 spectators over its three days.

Acclaimed by event hosts the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) as a “resounding success”, the staging of World Rugby’s flagship Sevens event is a matter of considerable importance for the local economy, marking the return of events to a city still impacted by pandemic restrictions.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, HKRU Chief Executive, Robbie McRobbie stated “I’m sure people are fed up of me saying the Sevens was 95% of our revenue, but that’s the reality.

“You can’t run on fumes forever. We were approaching a situation where, if we couldn’t get this back up and running, we were going to run out of cash.”

Speaking of the implications of hosting the event, which had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021,  McRobbie added “it’s not just us - the guy doing the fireworks, the people who built the stage in the stadium, the people who run the buses, their businesses in the last three years have suffered.

“To me it’s more than the HKRU, it’s a sports event industry getting going again. There are people whose livelihoods have been devastated. If we don’t resurrect the sector now, these people will be gone.”

With the crowd mainly drawn from the local market, McRobbie is now hoping for a “bigger and better” Sevens as of next April with overseas fans expected to return in numbers.

Images: Australia secured last weekend’s Hong Kong Rugby Sevens trophy (top) and crowds at the last Hong Kong Stadium (middle and below). All images credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board.