‘Huge honour’: Hong Kong Sevens set to celebrate 50-year milestone

Over 50 years, the Hong Kong Sevens has grown into one of the most iconic events on the rugby calendar, with thousands attending each year. Fans travel from all over, captivated by the world-famous blend of a rugby-festival atmosphere and international competition.

With the HSBC SVNS Series regular season in the books, the top 12 teams in women’s and men’s sevens are just a couple of weeks away from the new-look World Championship Series, which starts at Kai Tak Stadium on April 17-19.

This three-day tournament marks the golden jubilee of the Hong Kong Sevens, which was held for the first time at the Hong Kong Football Club in 1976. Bob Lloyd captained Hong Kong China then, and the former skipper recently recreated the kick-off to launch the 50^th anniversary celebrations.

The Hong Kong Sevens has delivered countless unforgettable moments over the years, including the debut of Jonah Lomu in 1994. Waisale Serevi reached ‘GOAT’ status in the eyes of many after inspiring Fiji to five Cup Final triumphs.

In the first Women’s SVNS Series leg at Hong Kong Stadium in 2023, Great Britain’s Rhona Lloyd was in tears post-game after scoring a match-winning runaway try. Charlotte Caslick and Tyla King have also made their mark, continuing to inspire the next generation to this day.

Bryan Rennie, the Executive Director at the Hong Kong Sevens, has explained what the upcoming celebrations will look like. “It’s a huge honour for the team to work on this event,” Rennie said, as the countdown continues to tick by.

“We’re bringing back a few of them, some of the superstars that have been instrumental in the success of sevens – [Waisale] Serevi, DJ Forbes, Charlotte Caslick, Tyla King. A number of these players will be coming back,” Rennie told RugbyPass.

“Our marketing team has been on fire, in fact, our whole team in general has been doing a brilliant job but we’ve put together a campaign where fans and individuals could share content of some of their favourite moments. We’ve captured all of that into a big fan wall.

“We will be dressing up part of the stadium with images like that and also throwback images on our timeline of key moments around the Hong Kong Sevens, recognising some of these individuals.

“I mentioned the core group that’s getting together on Friday, we’ll recognise these individuals inside the union suite. We have a gift for them and we’ll then march them around to lead the march past on the Saturday. It’s an incredible moment for these individuals who will be able to walk around the pitch and soak up the atmosphere before the live entertainment happens.

“We’re very cognizant of the history and trying to recognise those individuals, and at the same time it does just lend itself to really lean into the party carnival atmosphere that is the Hong Kong Sevens. We’ll try and make sure that is reflected positively.

“We’ve got different themes going into some of the moments that will engage some of the players as well to celebrate the party.”

The Hong Kong Sevens moved from the beloved Hong Kong Stadium to the new state-of-the-art Kai Tak Stadium last season, delivering a record-breaking event on March 28-30. New Zealand’s women’s side and Argentina’s men secured a slice of history by winning the Cup Finals.

Having the same DJs perform last year helped the transition between venues, and an exciting entertainment lineup has been confirmed for the 2026 edition as well. There’s entertainment for everyone to enjoy, with fans spending on average 7.2 hours in the stadium per matchday.

Former Asia’s Got Talent finalist Gwyn Dorado and world-renowned Primrose will perform on Friday. Vengaboys and DJ Hanna are the entertainment acts on day two, before Hindley Street Country Club play their part on the 2026 event’s final day.

“Very honoured to be involved in running this event. It’s in a pretty good position being the first grand championship event of the Series, we take that seriously. I think it just magnifies how significant Hong Kong is as part of the Series,” Rennie said.

“Doing everything we can to make sure that the fans have the best time after moving to a new stadium last year – that was hugely exciting and obviously a very steep learning curve for the team and then everyone got up to speed very quickly.

“It certainly does feel like we’re on the cusp of a hugely exciting tournament,” he added.

“The Hong Kong China men’s team has qualified for the Rugby World Cup; there’s a lot of excitement around that. We’re looking at some of the other fixtures on the 15-aside game that are happening later in the year as we build up to the opening game in Australia.

“It really is a good buzz and a good sense around what’s happening in the region. Everyone’s pulling together and have bought in and are looking forward to celebrating quite hard with us as we really do try and amplify the party component of the Hong Kong Sevens and celebrating the 50^th.”

This will be the fourth time the Women’s SVNS Series heads to the Hong Kong Sevens, with the Black Ferns Sevens eyeing a four-peat of crowns. Shiray Kaka and Michalea Brake are among those who have starred for the New Zealanders during their title runs in the past.

Jorja Miller has been the form player in women’s sevens this season, according to the RugbyPass SVNS Series MVP leaderboard, as the Black Ferns Sevens secured five Cup Finals and the overall SVNS 1 title.

New Zealand’s Kelsey Teneti was named the Player of the Final at last month’s SVNS New York, while Australia’s Levi sisters Maddison and Teagan are in form. Su Adegoke from the USA also stood out during the SVNS regular season.

“It’s just been brilliant because, personally speaking, I’ve got two young daughters who play rugby, but the game is thriving in Hong Kong amongst the girls.

“For them to be able to watch some of their favourite players and arguably some of the biggest names on the sevens circuit at the moment are coming out of the women’s game. It’s just brilliant to see that these girls can aspire to see some of their heroes play in Hong Kong is brilliant.

“We’re excited that Charlotte and Tyla are coming out. Tyla came out as an ambassador last year for us and she was brilliant. She brought her Olympic medal with her and all of the fans, young girls were just excited to see her and have selfies and see the [gold] medal and everything else.

“It’s a big part of our event now. It does mean it’s a very full schedule. Obviously, having a three-day tournament with 24 teams across men’s and women’s, and then we have our Melrose Cup competition thrown in the middle which again is replicated men’s and women’s.

“It’s full days but it’s great, it’s exactly what we want it to be; a big festival celebrating all things that are positive and good about rugby and its inclusivity. We’re delighted to do that and long may it continue.”

Be there as the Hong Kong Sevens celebrates 50 years on April 17-19. General admission and single-day passes can be bought HERE.