The annual Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is a chance for some incredibly strong, fast athletes to do battle on a muddy pitch. Last weekend's tournament saw the Fijians take home the main prize: the Cup and US$100,000 cash award. But the Sevens is not merely a celebration of athletic might. It is a community event where Hongkongers celebrate their city, support the home side and become actively involved in a sporting spectacle they can be proud of. The Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (YAF) has been holding activities at the Sevens for about a decade. Originally, they were part of the entertainment, but for the past three years, they have provided a face and body painting service for eager rugby fans. YAF's artist of choice is UK Face Painter of the Year, Cat Finlayson. Finlayson worked at the Natural History Museum in London, and later as a science teacher running education lessons in British zoos. It was these jobs that exposed her to body painting. Her boss at one of the zoos suggested that, with her art and science backgrounds, she try face painting at an event. She did, and she was hooked. While three days of painting faces and bodies is hard work, Finlayson says it's worth it. 'Bringing a smile to people's faces is great ... It's hard on your back and mind at big, long events like the Sevens, but I love being creative and bringing a bit of colour into someone's day,' she explains. Some of Finlayson's favourite designs - including one of her YAF creations - have brought her great acclaim. 'My most unusual [design] was a realistic frog on a lady from Hong Kong - I was fed up of the cartoony frogs most painters did. I entered it in a jungle competition and won UK Face Painter of the Year,' she says. 'I loved the Orbis eye charity project in 2007. YAF asked me if I could teach kids how to make dream catchers ... We made 20,000 with Hong Kong schools ... and it inspired a dream catcher face that placed me fifth in the World Face Championships in Austria.' Pat Tsui, YAF's Art Angels Programme project manager, says: 'We believe YAF's involvement with the Sevens enriches the sporting event. Face painting really adds to the festivities and the dressing-up traditions. 'Most importantly, our involvement raises money for the HKRFU Charitable Trust Fund, going towards academic scholarships for talented young rugby players. We believe in the importance of further education and are delighted that our efforts can contribute to someone's development in something they are passionate about.' The collaboration has proved extremely popular. While Finlayson loves being able to encourage creativity in Hong Kong children, there are two customers she'd love to see at her stall. 'In my dreams, I would like to paint someone beautiful like Brad Pitt or Orlando Bloom,' she says, 'although I think I would get nervous and paint wobbly lines!' Karly is a Young Post sub-editor
