Hong Kong’s men fall short in rugby sevens Olympics bid once again, as Japan snatch Paris spot at Asia qualifiers
- Hong Kong battle past China 19-12 in thrilling semi-final, before losing 21-14 to the hosts in Osaka
- Defeat sends men to international repechage, where they will be joined by women’s team, who beat Thailand to finish third in their event
Hong Kong’s Olympic woes continued on Sunday, as the men’s rugby sevens team fell agonisingly short of qualifying for next year’s Games in Paris.
A narrow 21-14 defeat to Japan in the final of the Asia qualifiers in Osaka, a game they were leading 14-7 with a minute remaining, leaves them having to tackle the international repechage for a third time, after falling at the same stage in two previous attempts.
There was some good news though, with the Hong Kong women’s 12-0 win over Thailand earning them another opportunity to reach France next year.
But for the men, it will feel like an opportunity missed, especially against opponents they beat on the way to winning gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September.
I know that the boys are proud of our performance, but right now it hurts
“It is really tough,” Hong Kong’s Alessandro Nardoni said. “Coming in we knew that only one team was going to get that ticket to the qualifier. We gave it our all and put in all the effort required to make sure it was going to be us, but it didn’t go our way.
“When we play Japan it is always a competitive game. We had five games against them this season, we won two and they won three, and it’s always down to one try.
