Hong Kong, Singapore Sevens confirmed in rejigged Series schedule for 2021-22 season
- New events for France and Spain, but Covid-19 restrictions see Sydney, Hamilton and Cape Town left out
- Hong Kong Stadium has missed out for last two years but is all set to return in April
The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has been officially confirmed as a stop on the 2021-22 HSBC World Sevens Series calendar, after the city missed out over the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hong Kong and Singapore are both on the schedule, which was released on Tuesday by the sport’s governing body, World Rugby Sevens.
But there will be no events this season in Sydney, Hamilton nor Cape Town – three of the Series’ staple cities – as the pandemic continues to affect the sporting calendar.
There were only two Sevens Series events – both in Canada – instead of the usual 10 played during a truncated 2021 season, with the number of teams also reduced from 16 to 12.
But the Hong Kong Sevens will return in its traditional April slot in 2022, having twice been targeted for later in the calendar year in 2020 and 2021 before plans were scrapped on both occasions.
There are also new events set to be held in France and Spain in the coming season.