Hong Kong Sevens braced for Severe Tropical Storm Nalgae as city issues No 8 typhoon warning

Organisers of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens were on Wednesday monitoring the weather forecast as Severe Tropical Storm Nalgae bore down on the city and forced the cancellation of the day’s horse racing at Happy Valley.

News that the Hong Kong Observatory had raised the typhoon signal No 8 on Wednesday afternoon prompted Hong Kong Jockey Club to , saying it had been following developments and, in consideration of staff safety and logistical issues, would not proceed.

The storm brought into play the unthinkable possibility of this weekend’s Sevens being disrupted if a typhoon warning remained in place or damage had been caused.

Despite Wednesday’s traditional photo call of team captains at the harbourside having to be moved indoors, the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) remained upbeat about the tournament’s prospects.

“The Sevens is famous for kicking off rain or shine – and we mean it,” chief executive Robbie McRobbie said. “However, the HKRU continues to monitor the development of Tropical Cyclone Nalgae.

“We are very encouraged by the [observatory’s] most recent update that Nalgae will weaken further.”

He added: “At present, our operations remain largely unhindered thanks to the cooperation and expertise of our event contracting partners, and the teams from our visiting 15 nations are doing what they do best, adjusting to the conditions in front of them.

“After three years’ hiatus, Typhoon Nalgae is only one of many challenges that are giving the Hong Kong Sevens – and Hong Kong itself – an opportunity to demonstrate our resilience.”

Normal typhoon protocol is for public transport to run a reduced service and much of the city to shut down, including sports grounds.

School classes and ferry services were suspended on Wednesday, although the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit – the gathering of banking heavyweights that coincides with the Sevens – pressed ahead.

Fiji’s Sevens squad, who will defend their title at the weekend, also got down to work.

“We managed to get our training session out of the way,” head coach Ben Gollings said. “I guess it could have been a lot worse. It was similar conditions to what we expect at the weekend, a slippery surface. In terms of that, it’s been good for us, but I know it will be disruptive for others.”

Playing the Sevens in wet weather would be nothing new, with a number of editions having taken place in something approaching a swamp, but storm warnings trigger obligations for premises and employers.

The Jockey Club indicated it would seek government approval to hold an extra race meeting next July after scrapping Wednesday’s eight-race card.

It added that betting tickets for the cancelled meeting were valid within 60 days from Wednesday, and on-course bookings would be refunded, as would cash bets and those placed through telebet and digital channels.

The possibility of the Sevens being compromised by a freak weather event, following multiple cancellations during the pandemic, would be a cruel blow in light of the effort and resolve invested in getting the tournament back on to the calendar. Its revival without further ill fortune has consequences, too, for the health of local rugby’s finances.

Underlining the freakish turn of events was the fact that it was Hong Kong’s first T8 warning in November in 50 years, and only the third ever, after previous occasions in 1954 and 1972.

In the worst-case scenario of storm warnings or damage disrupting the action – set to kick off on Friday afternoon – it would raise questions over whether to truncate the tournament, or whether use of the stadium, staff arrangements, visiting teams’ schedules and hotel bookings could be moved.

Such outcomes would perhaps have less of an impact this year than usual, with the city’s Covid-19 restrictions remaining a barrier for overseas fans and nearly all of the tickets having been sold locally.

As of last week, Sevens ticket sales had passed the 25,000 mark and thousands more had been distributed to charities, NGOs and schoolchildren to inch the potential attendance closer to the permitted 85 per cent capacity of 34,000.