Singapore to host next four years of HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series
Singapore will be hosting a leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series until 2023, after the sport’s world governing body announced on Wednesday (14 March) the cities which will be in the event’s next four-year hosting cycle.
Nine existing men’s world series destinations – Dubai, Cape Town, Hamilton (in New Zealand), Sydney, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore, London and Paris – are set to feature again as part of the next four-year cycle, with the host location in the United States to be confirmed later.
Singapore, however, will not be hosting the women’s event, even though the women’s series has increased to eight rounds for the first time in its history. The locations for the women’s competition are Dubai, Cape Town, Hamilton, Sydney, Hong Kong, Paris, Glendale (in Colorado, USA) and Langford (in Canada).
World Rugby chair Bill Beaumont said, “The selection of host destinations for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series comprises a winning blend of globally-attractive destinations, excellent facilities and superb organisers.
“Singapore is at the heart of the sevens success story and we look forward to welcoming teams and fans to Singapore over the next four years for an excellent event that will continue to grow new rugby audiences.”
S’pore ranked 2nd-best venue last season
This year’s edition will be held on 13-14 April at the National Stadium. Singapore has hosted a World Rugby Seven series leg in 2002, from 2004 to 2006, and from 2016 to this year.
Last month, Singapore was ranked second out of the 10 legs and Asia’s best last season, according to World Rugby’s tournament evaluation. It scored high marks for accommodation, general support services, training facilities and travel.
The Singapore leg will be jointly organised by Sport Singapore and the Singapore Sports Hub this year, taking over from the Singapore Rugby Union, which holds the rights to the tournament, and its commercial arm Rugby Singapore.
SportSG chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin said, “We are delighted that the HSBC Singapore Sevens will be extended for the next four years, and thank World Rugby for their continued trust in Singapore to deliver a world-class event.
“This mandate gives us the impetus to continue striving to make each better than the last. In this regard, we will continue to work closely with our partners to enhance the experience of the fans and the players.”
More than 20 territories interested in hosting series
World Rugby said it received more than 20 expressions of interest from member unions to host the HSBC World Rugby Sevens series.
Last year, the series saw record-breaking fan engagement figures, with an increase of 60 per cent across video views when compared with 2017 and attracted more than 749,800 attendees to events globally. Nielsen research recorded a 39-per-cent increase in live broadcast audiences across both men’s and women’s series, from 9 million in 2017 to 12.6 million viewers in 2018.
The full schedule of the 2019/20 series will be confirmed later this year.
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