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Tom Chick

The infamous Hong Kong Sevens is upon us once more as the 2009/10 IRB Sevens World Series starts drawing to an enthralling conclusion.

With three legs to go, beginning with Hong Kong this weekend, New Zealand remain on top of the log, although Samoa have all the momentum having won the inaugural Las Vegas title and last week’s Adelaide Sevens.

This weekend’s sixth leg will certainly give a clearer indication as to who will eventually come out on top of the Series this season, but it will also act as a demonstration of the clear growth Sevens in Asia has experienced.

Of course the Olympic decision in October and the inaugural Asian Sevens Series have played their parts in growing the number of fans and players recently, but the Hong Kong Sevens has been doing its bit for the economy and growth of Sevens, not only in Asia, since it launched in 1975. It is now a well oiled machine that is showing no sign of abating. 

For 35 years Hong Kong has proved to be one of the most sought after titles with a prize fund of 150,000 US Dollars. It is the most successful of the eight annual Sevens tournaments on the IRB Series and according to Tournament Director Warwick Dent, the event generates considerably more than 40 Million US Dollars for the Hong Kong economy.

“A very conservative estimate is that the Hong Kong Sevens injects 40 Million US Dollars into the Hong Kong economy,” said Dent.

“Although it is worth noting this doesn't include figures relating to the many corporate events and hospitality during the week. As such the real figure is probably greater than this.”

Hong Kong Precedent

The Hong Kong Sevens has for years been setting a precedent due to its success economically, and fundamentally it demonstrates what a Sevens event can potentially look like.

All of the legs on the Series offer something different, as Nigel Starmer-Smith points out in his latest column. The addition of Las Vegas to the circuit means Hong Kong could be rivaled due to its location and variety of tournaments.

But let’s be honest none of these events will ever match the history and association that Hong Kong has fashioned in the development of Sevens.

You just have to look at the tournaments full title, the Hong Kong RFU’s Cathay Pacific/ Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens to realise just how much a role the sponsors play in this event.

With Sevens drawing huge crowds and publicity, sponsors lap up the opportunity to be exposed on a global scale, especially in Hong Kong due to the prestige of the tournament.

The Hong Kong Sevens has a multimillion dollar sponsorship deal with Cathay Pacific and Credit Suisse and this is not only something Dent believes helps the events stature; it also helps the sport in the host nation in a similar way to Digicel’s continued support of Fiji.

Outside of the madness in the South Stand the huge corporate part of the tournament with a plethora of boxes and hospitality over the three days continues to thrive

“We are fortunate to have a very strong support not only from our box holders, but also with our event sponsors,” said Dent.

“Our co-title sponsors - Cathay Pacific and Credit Suisse, along with our Official Sponsors - Coca Cola, EMC, Kukri, Guinness, Telstra International, continue their support of the event.

"Credit Suisse have supported the event since 1998, and the tournament is a great way for Credit Suisse to complete their Asian Investment Conference.
“UBS, our national team sponsor, are again a long time supporter of the team, and many of the other financial institutions are either suite holders or have hospitality boxes with us.”

Asian Persuasion

It seems only fitting then that the Hong Kong Sevens brings something a little different to the Circuit - it is the only leg that has 24 teams – the rest all have 16 teams – and it has its very own varying points system.

Of course Asia have been crying out for a team to match the impact and the heights reached by the Asian event, but it is not just the economy that benefits from the Hong Kong Sevens.

The Hong Kong Sevens will continue its traditional role as a hotbed of Asian rugby development with six teams set to participate this weekend - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, Thailand and the hosts Hong Kong.

They are in fact the first teams to qualify through the new Asian Rugby Sevens Series, established in October 2009 with Thailand returning to the Hong Kong Sevens for the first time since 2004 and another example of the growth of the sport in Asia.

Rugby has big ambitions in Asia and the past two decades have brought a significant deepening and widening of the game’s historical base, notably in the expansion of the IRB’s Asian offshoot – the Asian Rugby Football Union – to 28 countries.

The difference is now the Hong Kong Sevens does not have to do it alone, and with the addition of the Olympic inclusion and the Asian Sevens Series, it will not be long before Asia could have a team in the core 12.

Of course this weekend all six continents will be represented, underlying that the Hong Kong Sevens may well have demonstrated a mould that the IOC like, and Asia can finally show what they are made of for the first time on a global scale.