Olympic sevens and World Cup ambition can go hand in hand, Hong Kong rugby bosses say
City’s men also have their eyes on retaining their Asian Games sevens title and reaching the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Hong Kong rugby bosses believe they can be successful on several fronts over the next 18 months, despite a relatively small player pool and the setting of some ambitious targets.
While preparations for the 2027 Rugby World Cup are likely to dominate the headlines for the next year and more, the city’s men also have their eyes on retaining their Asian Games sevens title and reaching the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Officials have spent the past six months thrashing out what that entails in terms of which players transition between the two formats, which tournaments take priority and balancing the needs of the coaches.
Simon Amor, Hong Kong China Rugby’s executive director of performance and representative rugby, is “100 per cent” convinced the city can make it work.
“Have we qualified for the World Cup? Yes,” Amor said. “Can we qualify for the Olympics? Yes. Can we perform admirably at both? One hundred per cent. It goes back to what does success look like for us, and we don’t define it on whether we finish on the podium.”
Still, there are certain non-negotiables when it comes to what the immediate future holds: winning a medal at the Asian Games in Japan this September, ensuring continued government funding is one; being competitive in this year’s six Nations Cup matches as part of their World Cup preparation is another.