Time to book your hangover recovery day as Hong Kong Sevens 2017 dates are announced
Tournament will take place on second weekend in April again
Save the date (and book a hangover Monday off work) – next year’s Hong Kong Sevens weekend has been confirmed as April 7-9.
Some people might still be recovering from this year’s event but they can start planning for 2017 after World Rugby confirmed the event would take place on the second weekend of April, the same as this year.
The sport’s governing body said the 2016 World Sevens Series – won by Hong Kong champions Fiji – had been the biggest and best ever, and they will be hoping for a huge Olympics boost as the sport makes it bow in Rio this August.
World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said in a statement: “As we look ahead to a game-changing Olympic Games in 72 days, we can reflect on what will be remembered as the biggest and best HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series to date.
“The compelling and highly-competitive action has captured the imagination of fans around the world in record numbers in stadia, on broadcast and in conversation. I would like to thank all the teams and fans from around the world for playing their full role as we build towards the first series following rugby sevens’ Olympic Games debut.”
The statement said the series was the best-attended with 715,000 fans and the most-widely viewed on television.
Bill Beaumont, the new World Rugby chairman, said in the statement: “Rugby sevens is going from strength to strength and is set to be a hit at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where inclusion on sport’s biggest stage will project our sport and its sevens stars to new audiences.”
The Women’s Sevens Series schedule has not been announced yet.
2016-17 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series schedule:
Dubai – 2-3 December
Cape Town – 10-11 December
Wellington – 28-29 January
Sydney – 4-5 February
Las Vegas – 3-5 March
Vancouver – 11-12 March
Hong Kong – 7-9 April
Singapore – 15-16 April
Paris – 13-14 May
London – 20-21 May
