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Olympic gold-medal winners Fiji are one of the teams likely to feature in the Champion of Champions sevens tournament in Shanghai. Photo: K.Y Cheng.

China to host richest ever rugby sevens tournament as US$100 million injection bears first fruit

The top eight teams from the 2016-17 World Rugby Sevens Series will converge on Shanghai in October this year

China is to host the richest ever rugby sevens tournament, with the top eight finishers from the 2016-17 World Rugby Sevens Series to fight it out in the “Champion of Champions” in Shanghai in October.

The tournament, which is a similar concept to the eight-player ATP Finals in tennis, is part of a push to grow rugby in the country and it is hoped having the likes of Fiji, South Africa and New Zealand strut their stuff will help put the relatively unknown sport on the map.

“On October 20 or late October, we will invite eight teams with the best records to Shanghai,” said Alisports vice president Wei Quanming. “[The venue] will be in Yangpu district.”

“This will be our first time hosting such a game. I think the eight countries will bring a sizable amount of fans from their home countries.”

Earlier in the year, when discussing the possibility of the tournament, World Rugby chief Brett Gosper said it would feature the “highest ever prize money we have seen in sevens”.

Alisports – the sports division of e-commerce giant Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post – will host the tournament and is leading the charge as far as popularising rugby in China.

World Rugby chief Brett Gosper is eager to grow the game in China. Photo: AFP

Last October, the company invested US$100 million over 10 years with the aim of attracting a million new players within five years.

The company is planning the Champion of Champions tournament along with World Rugby and the Chinese Rugby Football Association (CRFA) and Wei said China’s national team will also be invited.

Can Hong Kong cash in on China’s rugby millions at the richest ever sevens tournament?

China’s men’s team is very much a work in progress but a chance to lock horns with the best eight teams in the world is an opportunity fellow developing sides, such as Hong Kong, would kill for.

According to Wei, Alisports, which is engaged in a long-term partnership with the CRFA, will remain focused on growing the sport from the ground up despite leading off with a world-class tournament:

“Our main focus is still to develop home-grown stars.”

The ultimate goal for China is to host a Rugby World Cup and plans are in place to launch a professional 15-a-side league featuring foreign players as soon as next year.

While China has less than 2,000 rugby players, Wei believes the sport will catch on and knows it is important to capitalise on the interest created by the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics, both to be held in Japan.

World Rugby chief outlines how China plans to become a global force in the sport ‘in a hurry’ after US$100 million cash injection

“People are still unfamiliar with the sport,” he said. “For example, they have a hard time telling the difference between American Football and rugby.

“The two terms shares the same translation in Chinese. They are both gan lan qiu.”

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Shanghai set to host richest sevens
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