Boots and all | Focus shifts to sevens as World Series and Olympics qualifiers loom

All eyes will be on our sevens squad in the coming months as 2015 sets itself up as a watershed year for the game in Hong Kong … if everything goes according to plan.

The target is straightforward and two-pronged – qualify for the Rio Olympics AND become a core team on the HSBC Sevens World Series.

The former is the priority, although the latter offers more long-term benefits.

Winning through to the Olympics would underscore rugby sevens as one of the most progressive sports in town and strengthen its future at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, where it is one of 16 elite sports that receive millions of dollars from the government.

An Olympics berth would increase the already heightened appreciation of rugby in the local community, which once was almost ignorant of the game, or chose to turn a blind eye on the pursuits of mad foreigners.

Happily, that is no longer the case. The emergence of players such as Salom Yiu Kam-shing, Kwok Ka-chun and Tsang Hing-hung in the senior men’s squad has raised awareness, and the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union has done a good job of making the most of their local appeal.

Winning two rugby sevens silver medals at the last two Asian Games has also helped the cause.

Sevens is now regarded by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong as a medal-winning opportunity at big multi-sport events, and the Hong Kong team have reciprocated by winning kudos at all levels in Asia as well as the China National Games.