Kai Tak hosts rugby match as dummy run for new venue

An international rugby match got underway on Saturday at the Kai Tak Sports Park in gloomy weather as another trial event to test the site's smaller outdoor venue, with more signs and faster security checks. The match between Hong Kong and Brazil kicked off at around 4 pm at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground. It is the second test event at the 5,000-seat venue, which hosted a local football league game last month. This time, about 3,000 spectators were expected to attend the event, double the number at the football match. Officials including sports minister Kevin Yeung and security chief Chris Tang were spotted at the stadium, with the latter saying authorities have made improvements since the previous trial event. "We have doubled the number of security screening counters, and set up fast lanes for those who did not bring any bags," Tang told reporters. Spectators must purchase their tickets online prior to the event, and they were not allowed to bring in long umbrellas or any food and drink. But a spectator, surnamed Mak, said the rule was too strict. "A drawback is that we are not allowed to bring our water bottles into the venue. I wish they could be more lenient and let us bring our own water," she told RTHK. For rugby-lover Derek, the cloudy weather posed a bit of a problem. "It's quite convenient to get from the MTR station to the venue, but it's troublesome to have to carry an umbrella on rainy days," he said. "I would suggest adding some covers for walkways... My feet were completely soaked."

Kai Tak hosts rugby match as dummy run for new venue

Kai Tak hosts rugby match as dummy run for new venue

Kai Tak hosts rugby match as dummy run for new venue

Kai Tak hosts rugby match as dummy run for new venue

Kai Tak hosts rugby match as dummy run for new venue