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Hong Kong Sevens
Hong KongSociety

‘One of a kind’: final whistle blows on Hong Kong Stadium hosting rugby Sevens

  • Event will move to new venue in Kai Tak after being held for more than 40 years at Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay
  • While some fans express sadness over move, other confident larger venue will foster new traditions

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Fireworks are set off on the final day of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens at the Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday. Photo: Eugene Lee
Oscar Liu
Fans cheered, laughed and celebrated with gusto, although not without a tinge of sadness, as the final whistle blew on the Hong Kong Stadium hosting the rugby Sevens after more than 40 years on Sunday.
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They recalled some of their favourite memories forged over the years, attending the tournament wearing outrageous costumes, cheering on their teams surrounded by friends, colleagues or family, sometimes amid sunshine, other years drenched with rain.

While some felt bittersweet about next year’s move of the tournament from the 40,000-seat stadium in Causeway Bay to the Kai Tak Sports Park, which can hold an additional 10,000 fans, others expressed hope that the larger venue with better facilities could build its own sense of tradition.

Oliver Lopez, a 19-year-old Hong Kong native studying in Australia, said his parents first took him to the stadium to watch the Sevens when he was just one year old.

“It’s nostalgic to watch the Sevens at the stadium,” said Lopez, who moved to Australia when he was 12. “The new place can hold more sports events and music concerts. Saying goodbye to something you’re familiar with your whole life is hard. But this place is too small and only has 40,000 seats. Whenever there is a major event, the nearby traffic is always chaotic.”

Fans pack the stands on the final day of the tournament. Photo: Elson Li
Fans pack the stands on the final day of the tournament. Photo: Elson Li

Zero Ling Ting-man, the 42-year-old vice-chairman of the Sha Tin Shapei Rugby Football Club, came with his teammates to watch the tournament one last time in the South Stand, where fans traditionally show off their creativity by dressing up in comical costumes.

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