All dressed up and into the spirit

Eric Rush once said: 'When the action gets boring at the Hong Kong Sevens, you can always turn around and watch the rugby.' The former All Black knows well of what he speaks.

Each year at Asia's largest and longest-running sevens tournament, there are plenty of people ready to adopt an alter ego and, for three days straight, live it, breathe it, drink it and especially, dress it.

This year, for the first time, the Sevens is being televised by 32 international broadcasters and beamed into 136 countries and 187 million homes with a potential cumulative audience reach of 475 million. So those who dress to impress know they are fair game around the planet.

Over the years a few characters have become legends among the costumed cognoscenti with identities such as Catwoman, the Pink Panthers and the Kilted Scotsmen. All were back last night strutting their stuff.

Hazel Black (aka 'Catwoman') has been to 17 Sevens in a row. It was in 1996 when she first dressed up as her feline alter ego, Catwoman has become a one-weekend legend, despite attempts by 'impurrrrrsonators' to steal her media minutes.

This pussy's not the only media hussy in Hong Kong. Many others with an equally elaborate dress-up box (as opposed to a corporate box) have coveted extensive media coverage for over a decade.

Like notorious extra large 'Pieman' Martin Hollis, Black was one of the first 'crowd faces' to emerge as a mini-celebrity. Her characters became part of publicity posters, Sevens promotional videos, and glossies from Cathay Pacific in-flight magazines to Sevens books.