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Hong Kong Sevens to go ahead despite China coronavirus outbreak: ‘There are no plans to cancel’
- The Hong Kong Rugby Union addresses the outbreak, which has claimed the Hong Kong Marathon and a number of sporting events
- The HRKU says they are in regular contact with World Rugby and are ‘closely watching the emergence of the coronavirus’
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In the wake of the cancellation of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon last weekend, attention has now turned to the city’s next large-scale event and its most iconic – the 2020 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
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The Hong Kong Rugby Union, which jointly hosts the marquee tournament with World Rugby, issued a statement on Wednesday in regards to the coronavirus, which started in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has now reached more than 6,000 cases, health authorities said. This total surpasses the 2002-03 Sars epidemic that killed almost 800 people around the world.
HKRU chief executive Robbie McRobbie said they are hoping the coming weeks will provide more clarity as to the coronavirus and its impact, which has now killed 132 people and has confirmed cases on multiple continents. The dean of Hong Kong’s University medical school, Gabriel Leung, said he expects the outbreak to peak in April or May.
The tournament is scheduled to take place on April 3-5 at Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po, Causeway Bay. The event has a full house of nearly 40,000 fans each day, with more than half from outside the city.
McRobbie said they have yet to have any specific discussions with the government, but are planning on meeting with the Home Affairs Department.
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“There are no plans to cancel the Hong Kong Sevens,” said McRobbie when asked if there is a specific deadline as to when a decision to cancel must be made.
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