The annual sports extravaganza, the Hong Kong Sevens, kicked off yesterday (April 17) at Kai Tak Sports Park. The venue was nearly full, with 34,368 spectators in attendance. The Hong Kong men's and women's teams performed well at the Melrose Sevens competition. In particular, the men's team, spurred on by the cheering of fans across the stands, defeated the national team 36–14. Fong Kit-Fung, who was playing for the first time at Kai Tak's home venue for this event, said the atmosphere was even better than at a large stadium—indeed, "You even need to shout louder to lead your teammates. In the past, when matches at big stadiums reach a pause moment, the crowd would stop cheering. But at Kai Tak, all fans will never stop—totally another kind of atmosphere and feeling." Fong expects more people to attend over the weekend, which is definitely a good thing for the players.
Yesterday's first day of Sevens matches faced harsh weather (Amber Rainstorm Warning). The management of Kai Tak Sports Park said that in response to the Hong Kong Observatory's warning, the venue immediately implemented its pre-set emergency procedures. With the roof over the main stadium closed, the venue also simultaneously activated a roof leak-prevention system to strengthen rain protection and prevent rainwater from entering the main stadium during downpours. During the operation of the relevant equipment, there were brief and small instances of seepage inside the venue, but this did not affect the matches or spectators' viewing experience in any way.
Robots and dragon dance mark the opening
The opening ceremony was held at 6:42 pm last night. As the event also entered its 50th anniversary, the Hong Kong Tourism Boardinjected innovative elements into the ceremony while integrating traditional culture, showcasing Hong Kong's appeal to the world as "Asia's City of Major Events."The ceremony began with a dragon dance performance, adding festive and cultural flavor; there was also a robot performance. The domestically produced robot that had previously appeared on CCTV Spring Festival Gala was invited by the Tourism Board as a special guest. Ten robots, together with a team of cheerleaders, performed on stage, combining sports, innovation, and entertainment to deliver a brand-new viewing experience. The large grass pitch inside the main stadium also used laser projectionto display the names of participating countries and regions across the years, the legendary Sevens stars, and effects of two dragons flying—symbolizing the Sevens' 50 years of golden development.
After the opening ceremony, the Hong Kong men's seven-a-side team took the field. As soon as they entered, they received cheers and support from the full stadium. The most enthusiastic "South Stand" also maintained its usual character. In addition to fans wearing "I Love HK" t-shirts to cheer on the team, many spectators carefully dressed up—wearing cartoon costumes and even Brazil jerseys with "Neymar"on them. As for the match itself, the Hong Kong team defeated the national team 36–14, securing a winning start to the tournament.
Fong Kit-Fung had played at the Kai Tak home venue last year during the National Games. He said this time the atmosphere was even more intense: "During warm-up, you could already hear a lot of fans cheering. Sometimes it can be a bit distracting. When you get to the game, you need to be even louder in directing your teammates. My voice is already a little hoarse after the first match—but having many fans supporting the team is absolutely a good thing."
This was the player's first time making his debut at Kai Tak for this event, and it was also his second consecutive selection—after a previous term—in the Hong Kong Sevens main squad. He believes the support at Kai Tak is even more responsive and special: "This time it's a match with the retractable roof closed, and the cheering is even more loud. In the past, when matches at big stadiums reached a pause in play, the crowd would stop cheering. But at Kai Tak, all fans will never stop cheering—completely a different kind of atmosphere and feeling."
Hong Kong Women's Team squeezes a draw against Denmark
In addition, Salom Yiu, the ambassador for the Hong Kong Sevens, also attended yesterday's matches as a spectator. He said that both Hong Kong Stadium and Kai Tak's home stadium have their own advantages: "Kai Tak's home stadium has air conditioning, and this is very important. For you (reporters), your work can also be more enjoyable. For fans, with air conditioning plus the ability to close the roof, they are not affected by the weather and can stay fully immersed in enjoying the matches." He added that Hong Kong's big stadium has stronger cohesion because the seats are closer to the pitch—but Kai Tak is also OK!
Today this afternoon, the Hong Kong men's team will face Japan. He believes more fans will come in over the weekend, saying he is happy to see more people attending, which is definitely a good thing.
As for the women's team, they struggled in the first half. By the end of full time, at the last moments, Denmark scored to go ahead 0–7. Fortunately, the Hong Kong team did not give up. Chong Ka-yan identified a defensive gap and successfully "made a long-range solo run," bringing the score to 7–14for Hong Kong. Near the end of the game, Chong again stepped up and scored a try. With the successful conversion kick from a teammate, the score was drawn at 14–14, ending the match in a tie.
For this edition, the three-day tickets are completely sold out, with only a small number of single-day tickets still available for sale.
Fan village upgrades, add a warm-up area and fan interaction
With the Hong Kong International Sevens marking its 50th anniversary, the scale of surrounding activities has been further upgraded this year. The "Sevens Fan Village" located outside Kai Tak Sports Park, besides arranging DJ and band performances, for the first time also set up a warm-up area for participating teams, allowing fans to watch players' pre-match preparation up close. In addition, a small rugby sevens mini-game area was also added inside the venue, so spectators can participate directly and experience the atmosphere of the event.
Fans buy souvenir items in the rain
To commemorate the event entering its golden anniversary, the organizers rolled out multiple special 50th-anniversary memorabilia items. In addition to commemorative jerseys, there are also accessories such as bracelets, earrings, and badges, attracting many fans to stop and browse.
Ms. Lee, a long-time supporter who attends the Sevens every year, said that this year's Fan Village has richer activities than in previous years, especially with the addition of food and beverage stalls, which made her very satisfied. She originally thought that due to the rainy weather, foot traffic at the Fan Village would drop, but what she saw on site was that there were still plenty of participants, and the overall atmosphere remained lively. For the 50th-anniversary souvenirs, she said she would go buy them as keepsakes.
A student who is currently a member of a school rugby team, experienced a slime game stall in the Fan Village. She said she really liked this type of interactive game and was also very interested in other stalls. When talking about her feelings watching the rugby match on site, she believed the matches were extremely intense, with more physical contest and risk than the rugby games she normally plays within school. Even so, she still loves the sport. She added that rugby has helped her meet a group of friends, bringing her an experience completely different from everyday life.
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