Hong Kong Sevens makes comeback after three-year COVID absence

HONG KONG : Rugby fans and revellers readied for the Hong Kong Sevens on Friday as the city's highest-profile sporting event returns from a three-year COVID-19 hiatus, though safety protocols are set to make for a more subdued affair than previous editions.

The Sevens, last held in 2019, comes after scores of events have been cancelled, postponed or re-routed to other Asian cities such as Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul due to Hong Kong's rigid coronavirus rules.

Known for its festival vibe and fancy dress costumes, the three-day tournament is traditionally a big draw for visitors and big corporates.

The Nov. 4-6 event coincides with a global banking summit which drew top Wall Street executives in a bid to restore the city's reputation as a global financial hub.

Both events have been pitched as an attempt to show that the Chinese special administrative region can resume business as normal.

However, even as many of Hong Kong's COVID rules have been relaxed, including hotel quarantine on arrival, mask wearing remains mandatory. Proof of COVID vaccination and checking-in with a government app is required to enter most venues.

International arrivals are banned from visiting bars and restaurants for their first three days in Hong Kong.

Around 50 per cent of Sevens spectators came from overseas in 2019, with the event contributing around HK$400 million ($50 million) to Hong Kong's economy.

This year international spectators will be "down significantly", organiser Hong Kong Rugby Union said, with this year's event more "locally focused".

Corporate box sales, which raked in HK$116 million in 2019, are down year-on-year, in line with expectations, the Union said. With many of Hong Kong's restrictions only recently lifted many companies