Rugby World Cup 2019: official fanzone in Central Harbourfront will broadcast all games on 10-metre big screen
- Hongkongers can watch all 48 games live on the big screen by the Observation Wheel from September 20 to November 2
- Fanzone will be open from 11am to 11pm daily and admission is free
Kicking off on Friday, the area, hosted in conjunction with the Hong Kong Rugby Union Community Foundation, will allow fans to watch games on a 10-by-5-metre big screen, as well as four mini screens. Admission will be free, but there is a cap on attendance.
Hong Kong Rugby Union chief executive officer Robbie McRobbie said plans for a potential fanzone started as soon as it was announced Japan would be the first Asian country to host the tournament, and the first outside the sport’s strongholds.
“We’d hoped there might be a Hong Kong team participating in this edition,” McRobbie said, “but regardless of that we wanted to make sure that we use this opportunity to build exposure and the brand of the game in this city.”
Hong Kong narrowly missed out on a berth at the World Cup, losing in a last-ditch repechage tournament in France last November to Canada, who are now slotted into a group with two perennial powerhouses – New Zealand and South Africa.