Rugby fans from all over the world descended upon Hong Kong‘s newest 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium this past weekend. The new venue is the centerpiece of the Kai Tak Sports Park and was designed with the annual Rugby Sevens event in mind. Hong Kong’s biggest annual sporting event, the stadium is the city’s answer to building its international image.
The new stadium is a nostalgic one for Hong Kongers as it transforms the old Kai Tak Airport location, which notoriously saw flights fly into the harbour and make a 47-degree turn below 500 feet to reach the runway and flight routes that saw planes whiz through the city’s skyscrapers and Kowloon City. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of aviation history at Kai Tak, the stadium opens just in time for the first major sporting event at Kai Tak. To celebrate the opening of the brand new stadium, Cathay Pacific flew a passenger jet, CX8100, across Victoria Harbour as a throwback to the days where Kai Tak was an airport.
The weekend was packed with attendees from all over the world, arriving to watch national teams including, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United States, Hong Kong and more, compete across three days. This year’s tournament was the first Rugby event in the new stadium. Located in Hong Kong’s largest venue, the sports park is around 28 hectares and anchors the redevelopment of the former airport location. Rugby Sevens kicks off a slew of sporting and entertainment events for the city, with Coldplay set to perform in April as the stadium’s first major concert. Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong opens the doors for recently announced football events including matches with Liverpool, AC Milan, Arsenal and Tottenhum Hotspur F.C., also slated to play in the stadium this summer.
Take a look at the inaugural major sporting event below or above.
