Hong Kong International Touch Championships offers colourful glimpse into alternative rugby future
- Tournament at Happy Valley on Sunday attracted teams from across Asia, with almost 500 players taking part
- Championships start week-long rugby festival in city, with Cathay/HSBC Sevens beginning on Friday
The 465 touch rugby players spread across Happy Valley Recreation Ground on Sunday provided a cosmopolitan, colourful, and compelling illustration of the sport’s fast-rising popularity.
And given growing evidence of long-term and in some instances life-changing injuries sustained by players in the traditional high-impact form of the game, the timing of the tournament felt pertinent.
More than 2,000 players took part in the city’s summer league last year, compared to fewer than 200 when touch began in Hong Kong in 1988. Matches typically last 40 minutes, although time constrains in Hong Kong sliced Sunday’s games in half.
Dr Diana Li, the chairwoman of Hong Kong China Touch, said: “We are taking touch into schools, as a way to introduce rugby to children and locals.
“Hong Kong China Rugby have embraced touch, and do not view us as competition. We are collaborating to promote the sport of rugby.
“Most parents do not want their children hitting their heads, and risking concussions. Touch teaches a lot of essential rugby skills, so it is a way in [to 15s] for those who want to play.”
Bryce Pearson, who plays for Galaxy China, switched to touch after suffering a serious injury playing 15s on an unsafe surface.
A PE teacher in Chengdu in mainland China, he said he was “starting a touch programme from scratch in my school”.