Sevens and local veteran bidding farewell to stadium

The Hong Kong Stadium and veteran local player Salom Yiu Kam-shing will bid farewell during the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, which begins tonight and runs until Sunday.After this year's tournament, the event will be moved to the main stadium of the Kai Tak Sports Park.

Yiu, the 36-year-old winger, said this would be his final appearance in a Hong Kong jersey for the sevens event and he feels a sense of nostalgia as he says goodbye to the pitch.

"The Rugby Sevens has been a part of the Hong Kong Stadium for three decades, and I've played on this field for half of my career," Yiu said. "Having a connection with the Hong Kong Stadium before my retirement is a fortunate experience, and it will be the perfect ending to my sports career."

Yiu also said that he plans to attend the tournament next year at the Kai Tak Sports Park, either as a member of the audience or as part of the crew, to support the Hong Kong team.

Brian Stevenson, the vice president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, reminisced about the early days of the Rugby Sevens, where audiences had to bring cushions to sit on as the Hong Kong Stadium was still undergoing renovation in 1993.

Over the years, the Hong Kong Stadium and the Rugby Sevens have grown together, creating a unique atmosphere for the competition.It became customary for audiences to dress up in costumes at the South Stand of the Hong Kong Stadium.

Robbie McRobbie, the CEO of Hong Kong China Rugby, said that while the Hong Kong Stadium is iconic, it lacks sufficient facilities to accommodate the tournament.He added that the stadium only has seven changing rooms, forcing multiple teams to share one room during the Rugby Sevens. However, the main stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park boasts 24 changing rooms, which will adequately meet the needs of such large-scale events.

The Transport Department reminded citizens that special traffic arrangements will be in place at night from Friday to Sunday in the vicinity of the stadium during the annual mega sporting event. Citybus has also announced that it will operate two special routes, 25R to Central and 976R to Yuen Long, to facilitate travel for fans to and from the Hong Kong Stadium.