Burst pipe causes stink at Rugby Sevens as stadium's water supply is off for five hours
A lack of running water for almost five hours at the height of the second day's play meant 40,000 revelers in need of relief had to flush facilities with buckets
Conditions at the Hong Kong Stadium took a turn for the worse yesterday after the toilets broke down during the rugby Sevens revelry.
For almost five hours from 10.30am, the stadium - catering to 40,000 boisterous rugby fans - was devoid of flushing water due to a burst pipe. The lack of flowing water caused the facilities to back up, and there were reports of revellers defecating on bathroom floors.
Rugby officials said stadium management placed buckets of water at the toilet cubicles in an attempt to alleviate the backlog.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which manages the stadium, apologised for the inconvenience.
"Emergency repair was immediately carried out and the flushing water supply was resumed at 3.15pm," a spokesman said. "During the emergency repair period, additional cleaners were deployed to help maintain hygiene."
Fans in the stadium's rowdy South Stand described the conditions as "gross". However, fans elsewhere seemed less affected by the bathroom problems.
"While the situation did pose a temporary hygiene issue in-stadium, during this interval stadium management maintained basic sanitation levels by supplying water buckets in the main concourse level bathrooms during the day to flush cisterns and toilets," said Sean Moore, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.
The plumbing problems could prove to be an embarrassment to the Hong Kong authorities. The city's long-awaited new stadium at Kai Tak is still on the drawing board, while regional rival Singapore is pushing to attract events to its new state-of-the-art stadium.
It is not the first time that conditions in the Hong Kong Stadium have affected a showcase sporting event.
In 2013, pre-season games involving top English soccer clubs were marred by the state of the grass, dubbed a "killer pitch" by the British media.
Meanwhile, three injured Sevens fans were taken to hospital yesterday. Their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. Two revellers admitted to hospital on Friday were released yesterday.