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SCMP Reporter

This year's Hong Kong Sevens is likely to see the return of a phenomenon hated by police and loved by desperate rugby fans - ticket scalping.

Tickets to the Sevens have sold out ahead of the start of the event for the first time in three years, leaving organisers scrambling to find unused tickets among the corporates and sponsors. The Sevens kick off at 5pm today.

The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union said it was 'absolutely delighted' at the turnaround in ticket sales, but expressed regret that some fans may have been caught short.

Beth Coulter, tournament co-ordinator for the Rugby Football Union, said: 'It's the first time since 1997 that we've sold out in advance of the Sevens. Some people were quite relaxed about getting their tickets and we are sorry they may miss out.'

A total of 37,500 tickets are sold, with the remaining 2,500 seats at the 40,000-capacity stadium reserved for corporate and press seating. Attendance at the Sevens hit a low of 33,000 at the rebuilt venue two years ago.

'Ticket scalping hasn't been a problem in the last three years, but there is a possibility it could arise this year, which we are not keen to see,' Ms Coulter said.

Police say they will monitor the situation and arrest any scalpers.

Meanwhile, the objects of the frenzy are having the time of their lives walking around barefoot and eating thousands of bananas at the Marco Polo Hotel, where all 24 teams are staying.

'They're really very relaxed and casual, even walking around barefoot,' said the hotel's public relations assistant.

'Each team is on a different floor in a total of 250 rooms, but even when they congregate at the bar they just joke around about winning and beating each other. It's all pretty friendly.'

The shopping list to keep the more than 200 players fed for three days includes 10,000 bananas, 3,000 cups of yoghurt, 600 litres of fruit and vegetable juice, 200kg of potatoes and 200kg of fresh vegetables.

Housekeeping has set up a special laundry room to cope with the 2,600 towels the players are expected to go through during their stay.

Consular staff, meanwhile, are optimistic their weekend of rugby will not be interrupted by misbehaving nationals.

Fiji's Honorary Consul, Desmond Lee, said he was not expecting any trouble from either the team or the small number of Fijian fans who had made the trip to Hong Kong. 'Fijians are very peaceful people,' he said.

The Australian Consulate General was confident its players and supporters were here for a good weekend of rugby and would behave appropriately.

A spokeswoman for the British Consulate General was also not concerned about unruly behaviour involving its teams from Wales and England.

'We normally just sing their praises on how well-behaved they and the crowds usually are. I don't recall anyone misbehaving in previous years,' she said.

Judging from the behaviour of the Australian team on a Wednesday night junk trip to Lamma, their behaviour will be exemplary. Instead of making a dash for the beer piled on top of ice, they dug to the bottom of the barrel for soft drinks and water.

Team coach Glen Ella, a Sevens player for seven years and a coach for eight, said Australia had the potential to win this year. He said the Hong Kong Sevens was the best tournament in the world and he was not concerned about the tradition of the Hong Kong crowd booing the team when they take to the field. 'People are doing us a favour - it spurs us on,' he said.

Organisers said the south stand, renowned for its party atmosphere, would be sealed off to prevent overcrowding. 'When the stand is full no more people will be allowed in,' Ms Coulter said.

Graphic: MENU30GET



Police put scalpers on notice as tickets to Sevens sell out