7 More Reasons to Head to Hong Kong!
Posted by Richard Poulter on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Whether you love the game of rugby, enjoy a fantastic sporting spectacle, or simply want to let your hair down, then look no further than the Hong Kong Cathay Pacific / HSBC Rugby Sevens which is being held from March 23rd to March 25th 2012!
From Friday afternoon until Sunday evening (with little or no room left for sleeping! ) Quantity Surveyors will rest their calculators and Civil Engineers will hang up their safety boots and flock to the Hong Kong Stadium. They will be joined by 40,000 friends, colleagues, sports enthusiasts and party goers to enjoy this seven-a-side international tournament which is without a doubt, the most spectacular, exotic, well organized rugby competition of its kind in the world. Why not join them to find out for yourself?
Sevens is a cut-down, speeded up version of traditional rugby. Far quicker, higher scoring and fewer rules make for a much faster-paced, exciting game. Sevens great appeal lies in the opportunites to watch top players showcase their running and handling skills with no distractions. From its humble beginnings in 1976, the Hong Kong Sevens has become an internationally recognized sporting phenomenon that attracts teams from all the world’s top rugby nations.
With 337 teams and 4000 players participating, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is much more than Asia’s biggest sporting event. It encapsulates all the really good things that the game has to offer- wonderful sporting spirit, universal camaraderie, brilliant rugby and an outrageous party atmosphere! As well as it’s status as one of the world’s most celebrated sporting events it’s the nearest thing Hong Kong has to Mardi Gras.
While the rugby is undoubtedly first-class, the fun of the fast and furious Sevens game is that is lasts less than fifteen minutes and most of the time in the stadium is dedicated to getting into the carnival spirit. On the field, the teams will be battling it out for victory in four, thrill-a-minute competitions for the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield. In the stands, it will be one huge, non-stop party as the rugby fraternity sing, dance and toast this utterly unique game. Even if you’re not a rugby fan, attendance is still highly recommended- it is an experience you'll never forget!
The event is also a huge awareness campaign for sports and tourism, as the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union gets to drum up support for local grass roots rugby development. The event brought in over US$30 million from the 21,000-odd overseas spectators alone last year. That’s without counting the locals' spending, so all this makes Hong Kong business owners true fans of the event too! Why not decide for yourself and come and join us on March 23rd! Hope to see you there!
Richard Poulter
March 2012