Hong Kong Sevens ready to spread feel-good message after solving what happens if teams have Covid-19 outbreaks
- Launch at Hong Kong stock exchange is designed to indicate city is open for business
- Hong Kong government initially said teams must withdraw if they have one case, but agreement since reached that it would take five cases to trigger removal
Rugby officials hope the feel-good factor will return to the city in November, after the last potential hurdle to staging the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens was cleared.
Having reached agreement on the protocol if teams report Covid-19 cases, the Hong Kong Rugby Union will launch the event on Friday during a “celebration ceremony” at the Hong Kong stock exchange, with the location chosen to send the message that the city is open for business.
And a source close to the organisers said having the Sevens back for the first time in three years was as important for the city’s economy as it was for its image.
“I think Hong Kong needs this event to go ahead, we need to see 30,000 people in one place, so that we realise the city can return to normal,” the source said.
Friday’s briefing marks the start of organisers’ efforts to raise excitement levels about the return of the tournament, and although the tickets are understood to be selling well within the city’s rugby clubs, the need to engage the community is paramount.
In any normal year, the three-day Sevens would expect to welcome some 20,000 overseas visitors a day. But given the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in Hong Kong, and the decision not to sell tickets outside the city, the shortfall in attendance will need to be made up elsewhere.
Although the tournament was in July finally given the go-ahead to take place, a number of issues had remained to be ironed out, notably whether food can be served inside the stadium and what would happen in the event that a player or match official tested positive for Covid-19.
The Hong Kong government had initially said that if one player from a team were to test positive, that side would have to withdraw.
World Rugby is understood to have told officials that this was impractical, and after some back and forth, teams will now need five members of a 13-man squad to test positive to trigger their removal.
A source said that the discussion about what might happen if a referee tested positive highlighted the “slight disconnect” between some government departments and sports in general, but the issues had largely been resolved.
“There is a feel-good factor around this,” the source said. “I think people will be pleasantly surprised by how it all turns out.”
