The Cathay Pacific/HSBC, Hong Kong Sevens, is confirmed to make a comeback to Hong Kong this fall after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus. The Hong Kong Rugby Union has confirmed that players from around the world will return to the city from November 4 to 6.
The city welcomes the announcement as it looks forward to easing into opening up to global travellers. Hong Kong Rugby Union chairman Patrick Donovan says it’s working with the government and complying with all necessary Covid measures to ensure the success of the 2022 edition of the games. “After three and a half years without a Sevens, I am confident this will be a very special event… there lies plenty of hard work ahead for our dedicated events team,” he says.
The event will adopt a closed-loop travel system similar to the one used at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Players will be shuttled directly between their accommodation and the event, limiting access to the rest of the city. Personnel travelling with teams to Hong Kong will be expected to comply with similar measures.
However, Spectators and fans will need to adhere to quarantine measures in place at the time, like all visitors to the city. Though it’s too early to say how the government will be processing travellers into the city by November, there’s word that the current seven-day hotel quarantine required when entering the city will be scrapped. Instead, the government will likely adopt a 3 + 4 hybrid quarantine policy that allows individuals to return home or head to non-quarantine hotels after an initial three-day quarantine at a designated hotel.
The Hong Kong Sevens first kicked off in 1976 with 12 participating teams and has grown to become one of the most successful and well-attended sporting events in Asia. In 2019, the game brought 40 teams to the city and saw 120,000 spectators enjoy both the matches and the carnival atmosphere the event is known for at the Hong Kong Stadium.
With Covid restrictions in place, the 40,000-seat stadium will operate at an 85 per cent capacity this time around, translating into a maximum of 102,000 spectators attending the three-day event.
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