Social distancing in the South Stand? Sevens won’t be the same, but this could be Hong Kong Stadium’s last hurrah

Long-awaited return of Hong Kong Sevens in April will still be one to savour despite all of the restrictions that are likely to be in place
With state-of-the-art Kai Tak Sports Park on track to open in 2023, tournament’s iconic home of forty years begins its final farewell

Nicolas Atkin

Published: 5:44pm, 25 Oct 2021

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World Rugby’s inclusion of Hong Kong on the 2021-22 Sevens Series calendar has raised the question of whether the city will be ready to host its flagship sporting event in April.

But perhaps more importantly, it must be asked: with all of the government’s tight Covid-19 restrictions still stifling Hong Kong, will a socially-distanced Sevens even be worth it?

The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is rightly regarded as the premier tournament on the Series calendar, with every team – particularly perennial champions Fiji – seeming to raise their game.

But that reputation also goes for the raucous party atmosphere in the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium, “where the world comes to play” as the PR tagline puts it.

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Cheers, beers and colourful costumes: party vibe at Hong Kong Sevens

There are always grumbles from those annoyed by the flocks of drunken fans who spill out of the stadium when the action ends, filling the streets and emptying their glasses. But it’s no overstatement to say the tournament has been sorely missed by most.

The annual showpiece is a huge boon financially, with 2017’s event reportedly injecting HK$380 million into the city’s economy and seeing 120,000 spectators – more than half of them visitors – file into the So Kon Po stands to watch over three days of competition.

Rugby chief confident Hong Kong Sevens will go ahead in April

Last weekend’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon finally marked the return of major sporting events to a city that has been starved of live action since the onset of the global pandemic in early 2020.

So after three years away, of course the return of the Hong Kong Sevens will be a sight for sore eyes. But just like with the Marathon, where there was no invited overseas runners, we could end up witnessing a watered-down version.

The Sevens was always the greatest party on the planet, an atmosphere unmatched and unrivalled anywhere in the world – something which will be made all the more apparent by its absence next April.

Rugby fans cheer during the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens. Photo: AP

Authorities would face an unenviable task of enforcing social-distancing in the South Stand, once the spot where the hardiest souls would don the wackiest costumes, and drink and cheer from the crack of dawn until the floodlights were turned off.

Crowd capacity is likely to be capped, as well, and tickets will almost certainly be limited to residents, with a strict 21-day hotel quarantine currently in place for travellers entering or returning to Hong Kong from high-risk countries.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation and update our extensive preparations for hosting in April 2022, and remain in close discussion with World Rugby and the government on best practices,” Hong Kong Rugby Union chief executive Robbie McRobbie told the Post.

Cathay Pacific cabin crew wave to the crowd at the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens. Photo: Sam Tsang

But despite all the changes, the 2022 Sevens will still be essential viewing – especially given this could be the start of Hong Kong Stadium’s last hurrah, with the Kai Tak Sports Park still on track to open in late 2023.

When the fireworks brought the curtain down on another Sevens in 2019, we already knew there wouldn’t be too many more at the iconic old venue.

Little did anyone know we wouldn’t be back for another three years, and that Hong Kong Stadium might now have been robbed of a proper goodbye, and the fitting send-off it would have deserved after four decades of service.

Fiji fans cheer on their team at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: Sam Tseng

The HK$31.9 billion Kai Tak complex, built on the site of the old airport, will be a fitting new home for the tournament, and will give it a welcome lick of paint. Thankfully though for us nostalgic types, it won’t be a complete departure, with extensive efforts being made to recreate the atmosphere and design of the South Stand at the new harbourside stadium.

While the concourses in So Kon Po will always have their charm, the state-of-the -art Kai Tak facilities will bring the Sevens into the 21st century, and it’s probably about time.

So though it won’t be the same when we finally walk back through those gates in April, we should soak up every minute of that atmosphere, because Hong Kong Stadium’s farewell tour is about to begin.