If ever there was an accolade for a sporting event achieving more than the sum of its parts, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, referred to locally simply as the Sevens, would surely be a strong contender. For three days every spring, for more than 40 years, the Hong Kong Stadium has been the venue for sports fans to watch world-class rugby.
Considered by many to be the premier tournament for the shorter version of the traditional game, the Sevens has taken on a special significance in the world of rugby, especially since legends including Zinzan Brooke and Jonah Lomu have represented their countries at the event. With the 40,000-seat stadium a sell-out for the recent three-day tournament, the organiser reported that 40% of all tickets for this year’s event were bought by overseas visitors.
At a time when Hong Kong’s hospitality industry is struggling to regain pre-Covid momentum, bars and restaurants near the stadium reported a welcome uptick in business, in some cases as much as a 40% increase in business.
The Sevens have become one of Hong Kong’s biggest networking opportunities
This being Hong Kong, there can be no sporting event without some mixing of business with pleasure. In addition to the deal-making that goes on in the corporate boxes at the Sevens, the business meetings and conferences that coincide with the event have made it one of Hong Kong’s biggest networking opportunities.
For example, over the days immediately following this year’s Sevens, title sponsor HSBC staged a global investment summit for attendees and customers, which brought together over 3,000 delegates from more than 40 countries.
Passing on the baton
In a Facebook post, Hong Kong’s sports minister, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, labelled the Sevens ‘a beautiful business card for Hong Kong’. But things are about to change. With New Zealand’s men’s and women’s teams crowned 2024 champions, the Sevens whistle blew for the last time at the Hong Kong Stadium.
Next year the event will move about 10km across Victoria Harbour to a new 50,000-seat stadium built on Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak airport site. In addition to the Sevens, the HK$30bn sports complex is expected to host major football matches, concerts and other sports and entertainment events.
The ‘build it and they will come’ philosophy could see superstars such as Beyoncé perform in Hong Kong
At the same time, as Hong Kong seeks to broaden its visitor attractions and with the local economic benefits generated by the recent Taylor Swift and Coldplay tours in the region widely recognised, the government says it will work hard to attract mega headline performers.
When it opens later this year, the Kai Tak Sports Park is expected to address the issue of Hong Kong’s current limited choice of venues for large concerts. The Hong Kong Stadium can hold 40,000 spectators but is deemed unsuitable for concerts because of its proximity to residential areas.
While the ‘build it and they will come’ philosophy could see superstars with a massive draw such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé perform, it remains to be seen if the fun, enthusiasm and vibe that has permeated Hong Kong Stadium each spring for four decades can be transported to the big new venue across the harbour.
