Sevens fans' farewell: We'll miss this special place

Some 40,000 fans made their way to the Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday determined to make the most of the last ever day of Hong Kong Sevens action at a venue that’s synonymous with the sport around the world. With the Kai Tak Sports Park taking shape across the harbour, rugby lovers from Hong Kong and beyond rushed to enjoy a final day of sport and partying in the South Stand. The Hong Kong Sevens first moved to the stadium after its reconstruction in 1994, long before the emergence of the sevens World Series, professionalism in the sport and its arrival in the Olympics. Supporters RTHK spoke to wanted to honour the legacy of the competition while also having fun. Coming all the way from the United States, the Hamby family dressed as characters from the Mario video games, Princess Peach, Toad and Mario himself. “The Sevens has been wonderful. All of the players have been wonderful, they’ve got great athletic talent and the crowd has been amazing so big props to everybody,” said Mr Hamby. “I’m here with my wife and mother. This is my third time at the Sevens, this is their first so we’re just doing it right, here in the South Stand.” Another fan flew in from South Africa, only to see her country’s men’s team crash out in the quarter finals and the women fail to make it out of their pool. “First time in Hong Kong but we’ve been to many other Sevens,” she said. They came “because it’s the thirtieth time and it’s going to be the last one in this stadium. It’s wonderful, almost as good as Cape Town.” One Sevens regular chose to dress as wrestling great Hulk Hogan. He says he’s going to miss the old stadium. “We’ve been coming for perhaps the last 20 years. I’m 32, and we’ve been coming with our parents, our families since we were about 12 years old,” he said. “This is such a special place, particularly for our childhood. Having the opportunity to play on the pitch … this is like an institution, so it’s going to be very sad when it finishes.”