HK men face Spain in final qualifier for Paris Games
Women grouped with Uganda, Paraguay and Jamaica for June’s Monaco rugby sevens
Hong Kong’s men have been drawn alongside Spain, Papua New Guinea and Brazil for the pool stages of the final rugby sevens Olympic qualifying tournament in June.
Unlikely to reach the Games in Paris this summer after missing out on the regional qualifying spot to Japan, Jevon Groves’ side have at least avoided South Africa, Canada and Great Britain in the opening rounds.
The city’s women have a slightly easier task ahead of them, having been grouped with Uganda, Paraguay and Jamaica for the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco. The three-day contest will take place between June 21 and 23 at Stade Louis II, returning to the venue that also hosted final qualification events before the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
With 11 teams for both the men and women’s tournaments already through to Paris, only the winners of the event in Monaco will qualify.
South Africa’s Blitzboks will be strong contenders after winning the first round of the HSBC SVNS 2024 in Dubai in December, while Canada, Great Britain and Spain are also core teams on the top level rugby sevens circuit.
The women’s tournament looks wide open and will feature Argentina, China, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Kenya, Jamaica, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland, Samoa and Uganda.
Rugby sevens is set to provide an unforgettable curtain raiser at Stade de France as the first sport to kick-off the Olympic Games on 24 July 2024, two days ahead of the opening ceremony.
The dates and games for this year’s Asian Rugby Championship have also been confirmed, with Hong Kong’s teams playing several matches at home in May and June. The women will host their Japanese and Kazakh counterparts, playing the former on May 22 and the latter 10 days later. Japan and Kazakhstan will face each other in the city on May 27.
In the men’s ARC, Hong Kong open their campaign at home to the United Arab Emirates on June 1, travel to Malaysia a week later, and end with a decider against South Korea on June 22.