Protests and a pandemic: Hong Kong rugby boss Patrick Donovan keeps the faith despite two and a half years without a Sevens
- Chairman Donovan recalls city protests ‘literally days after’ his election in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020
- Despite postponements and cancellations, domestic and international set-ups are trending in a ‘strong direction’
Hong Kong rugby chief Patrick Donovan’s tenure has been unprecedentedly arduous. Elected as chairman of the Union in the summer of 2019, he was immediately thrust into helping navigate the sport through citywide demonstrations – but that was only a prelude to what was to come.
“This year has certainly been interesting. I reflect back on a term that was disrupted initially by the protests, then by the global Covid-19 pandemic. The Union has faced challenges unlike any other in our 50-year history,” said Donovan, previously a member of HKRU’s board since 2013 having played for Aberdeen and HKU Sandy Bay.
“We had the protests literally days after my election and the first part of my tenure was addressing international concerns to hold a safe Sevens. Then it was about playing as much of our domestic season as there were disruptions to school and youth rugby. It was about trying to ensure we had a successful Sevens in April 2020 – then we got blindsided by Covid-19 and the focus had to pivot,” Donovan said.
“We’re well aware of [its] impact on our revenue model and we’re still highly dependent on a successful Sevens. It’ll have been two and a half years by the time we hold the Sevens in November 2021. We’re fully cognisant of that.