Hong Kong's job of qualifying for the 2013 World Cup Sevens in Moscow has been made easier with the decision to award Asia three qualifying spots.
The 2012 HSBC Asian Sevens Series has taken on added importance with the fourth leg in this season's schedule, a non-ranking tournament in Singapore, being designated as the Asian qualifiers for the Moscow World Cup.
'This is great news,' said Hong Kong head coach Dai Rees. 'I thought only two teams would qualify from Asia, but obviously with one more place available, it makes our job a little bit easier.'
Hong Kong's sevens squad, which faces a test of character and strength at next month's Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens as they bid to become a core IRB sevens team next season, have a proud record of having played in all previous World Cups.
Hong Kong qualified for World Cup Sevens in 1993 (inaugural), 2001 and 2009. In 1997 and 2005, they won automatic qualification by virtue of being host nation.
'It is a significant record, but times have changed,' Rees said. 'The game is unrecognisable from when the World Cup began. There is far greater strength and depth in Asia with countries like South Korea, China, and the Philippines pushing Japan and us.'
Japan and Hong Kong are the two top-ranked teams in Asia based on last season's Asian Sevens Series. Hong Kong's performance in the 2012 edition will be crucial as its ranking will play a role in the seeding for the Asian qualifiers.