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Jonathan White

The Covid-19 pandemic has left most of 2020 sport in a mess.
Third, fourth and fifth waves of infection across the world have left events at sixes and sevens – and that is not set to change any time soon. What has to change is how events are run.
It is clear that there is no way for sport to avoid the impact of the coronavirus but how the impact manifests itself is on a sliding scale.
The International Olympic Committee has taken the stance that Tokyo 2020 is happening “Covid-19 or otherwise”, while also admitting that they are scaling back on the number of events, personnel and officials. There will surely be more measures.

Closer to home the question is how can the Hong Kong Sevens go ahead?
That is not said with a tone of furious indignation but one of wonder – literally, what will have to be in place for the jewel in the crown of the city’s sporting calendar to take place, and what form might it take?
Hong Kong Sevens postponed until October as city battles virus
It’s fair to say that planning for anything other than a pandemic-affected event is wishful thinking on a Disney’s Aladdin scale.
There may or may not be a vaccine. Even if one is approved it is unlikely to be globally available before the Sevens is set to kick off in the first weekend of April. Access is likely to be controlled and the Sevens teams of invited nations are presumably not top priority.
As for those teams, there is going to be a cost and it is one that neither the Hong Kong Rugby Union nor the individual bodies can be expected to bear alone.

Sevens programmes have been hit by Covid-19 – many of them losing their investment and going amateur – while the HKRU has also had to count the cost of a whole Sevens being cancelled.
World Rugby needs to put their hands in their chino pockets and come up with the cash to get the teams out here, as well as covering player wages and stipends, staff and so on.
Then there is the real expense. Surely there will have to be a tournament bubble of some sort for the players, staff and match officials? That needs a venue and the requisite amount of Covid-19 tests per person to keep checking that it has not been breached.
HKRU counts cost of canned Sevens in HK$150 million hammer blow
Even alternative ideas, such as forming teams from Hong Kong-based players only (or wherever there might be a travel bubble agreed with at the time) pose problems, not to mention how attractive that would be to an audience that only expects the best.
Assuming there are teams (and let’s lump their back room support staff and match officials in the same boat) what of the other hundreds, if not thousands of event staff needed at Hong Kong Stadium? Could they all be kept in a bubble? If not, then would there be enough tests around to allow for them to work in some capacity.
There’s the HKRU, caterers, security, media and all of the other sundry staff at what is a huge event with what would normally be 40,000 people milling around.

There is good news for the HKRU. Other sporting events, ever more in fact, are bringing back crowds and there will be a model that works. The French Open will be a case in point, but there have been crowds at football across the world and baseball in Taiwan.
While it can’t be allowed to go on behind closed doors – which would defeat the point – we might all have to face the reality that there will be no South Stand. Even if there is, what would a socially distant Saturday afternoon be like? A new experience for sure.
As an event, the Sevens drives the Hong Kong economy like no other. Not next April, at least, not in the same way.
Hong Kong Sevens cancelled as 2020 World Series called off
More than half of the attendance each year is recorded as visitors to the city specifically for the tournament and they drive spending across the city from Hong Kong Stadium to 7-Eleven to Wan Chai, with hotels, restaurants and avaricious cab drivers filling their pockets. Not to mention Taobao fancy dress sellers. No chance.
There may be a few diehards with time on their hands and an unwillingness to break their run of successive Sevens but the likelihood is that serving a 14-day quarantine either at Carrie Lam’s pleasure or in a hotel out of their own pocket before the tournament and then possibly more of the same on your return home.
The truly global nature of the event will have to skip another year in 2021 but a successful Sevens will mean a road map to getting back to as normal as the South Stand gets at some point in the future.
Shove your rankings – Hong Kong Sevens still leads the way
This talk of the new normal is something that cannot be avoided, just as a new-look Sevens cannot. As long as it can be done in a safe way then hopefully the future of the next Sevens can soon be secured.


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Hong Kong Sevens

How can a Covid-19 Hong Kong Rugby Sevens go ahead?

Fijian fans celebrate after Fiji wins the Cup final match against France on the last day of the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens. Photo: Sam Tsang

Image shows a Cathay Pacific advert for the now postponed Hong Kong Sevens, on a Cathay Pacific flight from Sydney to Hong Kong, March 03, 2020 [TRAVEL FEATURES] CREDIT: Kate Whitehead

Robbie McRobbie, CEO of the Hong Kong Rugby Union, at the Hong Kong Stadium, Causeway Bay, August 20, 2020. 20AUG20 [MY LIFE POST MAGAZINE] SCMP / Nora TAM

Dai Rees with the Hong Kong men's sevens team. Photo: HKRU

Hong Kong Sevens to kick off the World Sevens Series in April 2021

Big crowds are expected to be back for the Hong Kong Sevens in April 2021. Photo: AP

***FOR NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY*** Kalione Nasoko from Fiji against South Africa during the Cup final at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2017 rugby tournament, on April 09, 2017. 09APR17 [R7] SCMP / K.Y. CHENG

***FOR NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY*** Fans cheer during the World Rugby Women's Sevens quarter finals at Hong Kong Stadium during the HK Sevens 2019. 05APR19 R7 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong Sevens: top coaches Ben Ryan and Mike Friday back decision to scrap World Series; cannot wait for next season

Hong Kong Sevens fans will have to wait until next April to see some action. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

This picture shows the United States players acknowledge the crowd during the 2015 Rugby Seven tournament in Hong Kong. 28MAR15

Ben Ryan, former Fiji rugby coach poses for photographer in Wan Chai. 14OCT16 SCMP / Edmond So

New Zealand's 7s rugby team celebrates on the podium after winning the World Rugby Sevens Series men's final rugby match between New Zealand and South Africa at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town on December 15, 2019. (Photo by RODGER BOSCH / AFP)

Fiji legend Waisale Serevi’s heart is with victims of Covid-19 amid first-ever cancellation of Hong Kong Sevens

Waisale Serevi at a press conference for the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens as coach of the Russian sevens team. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Fiji's Waisale Serevi in action against Malaysia at the Cathay Pacific / Hongkong Bank Invitation Sevens at the Hong Kong Stadium. 27MAR93

Serevi and the Singapore group including Alex Nicholson.

Hong Kong Sevens cancelled as World Rugby calls off 2020 World Series

Rugby fans cheer during the annual Hong Kong Sevens. It will not go ahead in 2020. Photo: AP

***FOR NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY*** ***LOW RES*** Vilimoni Botitu (#7) of Fiji lifts up by his teammate Josua Vakurunabili after winning the Cup final match against France on the last day of HK Sevens 2019 at Hong Kong Stadium. 07APR19 R7 SCMP / Winson Wong

Hong Kong Sevens: men’s and women’s squads ‘rolling with it’ as coronavirus shuts down rugby for foreseeable future

Max Woodward and company are training remotely to stay in shape, hoping rugby resumes in the autumn. Photo: HKRU

Anna Birkett scores for Hong Kong against Sri Lanka, at the Asia Rugby Sevens Tournament Qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Photo: HKRU

Coach Paul John at Hong Kong team captain's run during Asia Rugby Men's 7s Qualification Tournament For Tokyo 2020 at Namdong Asiad Stadium, Namdong, Incheon, on 22 November 2019, South Korea. Photo by : Ike Li / Ike Images

Iain Monaghan talks to his players after their loss to China at the Olympic sevens qualifier in Guangzhou

Sport

Hong Kong

Rugby

HK Sevens


Coronavirus pandemic means that the 2021 Sevens will be event like no other but sports across the world are showing the way
Hong Kong Rugby Union’s jewel in the crown set for next April after Covid-19 saw end to 2020 plans



Coronavirus pandemic means that the 2021 Sevens will be event like no other but sports across the world are showing the way.


Hong Kong China Rugby

Coronavirus Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Opinion

Opinion | How can a Covid-19 Hong Kong Rugby Sevens go ahead?

Coronavirus pandemic means that the 2021 Sevens will be event like no other but sports across the world are showing the way Hong Kong Rugby Union’s jewel in the crown set for next April after Covid-19 saw end to 2020 plans

Coronavirus pandemic means that the 2021 Sevens will be event like no other but sports across the world are showing the way

Hong Kong Rugby Union’s jewel in the crown set for next April after Covid-19 saw end to 2020 plans