The Hong Kong Rugby Association and the International Rugby Council announced on Tuesday (16th) that the "Hong Kong Rugby Sevens" (Seven Rugby) originally scheduled to be held in April 2022 will be postponed again to November 4-6 next year. This is the fifth postponement or cancellation of Seven Rugby since the epidemic. If it can be held as scheduled, it will be the first time the Hong Kong Sevens has been staged outside the spring since 1976.
Lam said in a statement that the fifth postponement or cancellation of the event is "in response to the uncertainties faced by participating teams due to travel restrictions", and hopes that between now and the year to the game, "the global vaccination rate will continue. Increase, and Hong Kong’s borders can gradually open up," so that the team can successfully arrive in Hong Kong to participate in the competition.
The event will be the opener of the next season of the "World Rugby Sevens Series". Rugby will also host the Seven Rugby during the traditional tournament schedule in April 2023.
The statement continued, "Since the pandemic, President Rug has accumulated losses of 200 million Hong Kong dollars. The successive postponements of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens have forced Rugs to exhaust its financial reserves, lay off more than 40% of its employees, and ended. The professional player plan has been established.” Rugby President previously converted his 30 full-time 15-a-side rugby team members to semi-full-time after the contract expires on June 30 this year.
Robbie McRobbie, Chief Executive Officer of Lam said, “If the government-supported M-brand large-scale sports events cannot be held for a long time, the risk of them disappearing from the international schedule will increase. The sports community will cause permanent damage. Ironically, when the Kai Tak Sports Park opens, there may be no international events to hold in Hong Kong."
