The 2024 Hong Kong Sevens is set to sell out, organisers have said, after more than 39,500 of the 40,000 tickets to the international rugby tournament had been sold by Tuesday.
More than 40 per cent of ticket sales were from spectators flying in from overseas for the three-day tournament that begins on Friday, including those from the UK, Australia, and Fiji, according to a press release issued Tuesday.
The Sevens returned to Hong Kong after a two-year hiatus in November 2022 amid partial Covid curbs, with the Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay allowed to be filled to 85 per cent capacity. The tournament was held again last March, at full capacity, after pandemic regulations were fully lifted in the city.
Only 3 per cent of fans came from abroad in the 2022 Sevens, with that number recovering to 23 last year.
With less than 500 tickets remaining, the event was expected to sell out on Wednesday, according to the organisers. Three-day general admission weekend passes were available on the Hong Kong Sevens website.
“Hong Kong China Rugby is delighted to once again welcome thousands of local fans and visitors from across the region and the rugby world back to the city for the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2024,” Chris Brooke, chairman of the rugby union, said in the press release.
“This is a very special year for the tournament as we mark three decades inside the Hong Kong Stadium, and we are overwhelmed at the response of the fans to this milestone year and hopeful of recording our first full house since the pandemic.”
This year marks the final time the event will be held at the Hong Kong Stadium, which is set for redevelopment. From next year, the major sporting tournament will move to the Kai Tak Sports Park, which is set to open next year.
The entertainment and music line-up will feature reggae pioneers The Wailers, Arnel Pineda of US rock band Journey, Cantopop girl group Lolly Talk, and Taiwanese cheerleaders the Rakuten Girls.
The Sevens has been awarded the “M” Mark by the city’s Major Sports Events Committee – a certification given to recognised major sports events held in Hong Kong.
The tournament comes amid a drive to draw tourists to Hong Kong and boost the city’s economy. Alongside the Sevens, Hong Kong hosted pop culture festival ComplexCon last month, as well as Art Central and Art Basel.
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