「2025年國泰/滙豐香港國際七人欖球賽」 啟德主場館慶祝超級星期六

Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 Celebrates a Super Saturday 

[香港，2025年3月29日]：周六中午，當「2025年國泰/滙豐香港國際七人欖球賽」的賽事進行得如火如荼之際，啟德主場館的南看台掛起了「滿座」的標誌，成千上萬身穿奇裝異服的觀眾沉醉於濃厚的氣氛之中。 

今日入場觀眾人數高達38,820人，比2024年周六的數字多了5,000人。大家都被阿根廷隊和衛冕冠軍新西蘭隊的精彩表現所吸引。阿根廷隊目前仍保持不敗，正為追逐第三次滙豐七人欖球系列賽錦標而努力。而衛冕的新西蘭隊也未逢敗仗，並渴望蟬聯冠軍寶座。 

阿根廷教練歌拿（Santiago Gomez Cora）今日親眼見證了這支南美洲球隊擊敗斐濟隊（35:7）和愛爾蘭隊（22:14），他表示：「對我而言，香港站是七人欖球的標誌性賽站，當你想到七人欖球賽，你就會想到香港，在這裡贏取冠軍一直是我們的夢想之一。」 

阿根廷將在明日（周日）的準決賽面對澳洲，而法國隊在半準決賽以21:14擊敗衛冕的新西蘭隊，將在準決賽迎戰19冠的斐濟，後者在加時中以31:29險勝西班牙。 

今日下午，意大利音樂人Gala在重新設計的「南看台」上方、18米闊的舞台上獻唱。夜幕低垂後，英國傳奇DJ Pete Tong 在台上為賽事配樂，這兩場娛樂節目都為場上的氣氛再度加熱。 

女子組方面，衛冕冠軍新西蘭隊跟她們亦敵亦友的對手澳洲隊同樣保持不敗，這兩隊像是命中注定的「宿敵」。 

年輕的澳洲主力利維（Maddison Levi）表現十分出色，她賽後環顧著啟德主場館，回顧了這項賽事和這項運動在香港的演變時說：「香港大球場滿載多年的歷史，現在啟德這個新主場亦會創造新的回憶，未來會變得越來越好，這是一個五星級體育館，好得有點超現實。」 

中國香港男、女子隊也不負眾望，連續兩天各自取得兩連勝，為周日的「Melrose 銀劍賽」決賽奠定基礎。 

首次代表香港在「2025年國泰/滙豐香港國際七人欖球賽」披甲上陣的葛史活（Rory Steward Cox）周六成功達陣，這將令他留下終生難忘的回憶。 

葛史活賽後表示：「這對我來說太特別了，我在香港長大，以前看過多次香港國際七人欖球賽，看著香港球員代表香港隊出賽；現在能夠站在球場上，真的很不真實，成功達陣更是夢想成真。」  

香港國際七人欖球賽的傳統一定是奇裝異服，今日有埃及法老王、鯊魚、甚至是紅蘿蔔，來自西澳珀斯的Chris Briggs則打扮成墨西哥摔角手，他以為自己的裝扮一定十分搶鏡，直到他看到有5位觀眾也選擇穿著同一打扮。 

他說：「我想我現在可以跟他們做朋友了，其實有人告訴我，參加香港國際七人欖球賽的目的就是交朋友。」 

「國泰/ 滙豐香港國際七人欖球賽」很高興成為一項「M」品牌認可活動，協助提升香港作為亞洲體育盛事之都的形象。獲大型體育活動事務委員會頒發的「M」品牌，標誌著緊張、精彩、刺激的大型體育活動。 

資料及相片來源 : Elite Step Asia Limited / Hong Kong Sevens

[Hong Kong, 29 March 2025]: By mid-afternoon Saturday the full house sign was raised in the South Stand and the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 was well and truly in full swing, as the costumed thousands soaked up the atmosphere. 

The 38,820-strong Saturday crowd – 5,000 more than 2024, were brought to their feet by the performances of Argentina, still unbeaten as they chase an incredible third HSBC SVNS Series in a row, and by reigning champions New Zealand, also unbeaten so far and keen to hold on to their crown. 

“For me this is the icon of sevens,” said Argentina coach Santiago Gómez Cora, who saw his Los Puma beat Fiji (35-7) and Ireland (22-14) on Saturday. “When you think of the sevens, you think of Hong Kong and to win here has long been one of my dreams.” 

For their troubles, Argentina now face Australia in Sunday's semi-finals. France meanwhile shocked reigning title-holders New Zealand late, 21-14, and will meet 19-time champions Fiji who snuck home in a thriller in the quarter-finals, beating Spain 31-29 in extra-time. 

A performance from Italian singing sensation Gala on an 18-metre-wide stage overlooking the re-imagined South Stand in the afternoon, and the legendary DJ Pete Tong up there providing a soundtrack to the action after night fell, proved the perfect backdrop to the excitement out on the pitch. 

In the women’s competition, both title-holders New Zealand and their closest rivals Australia remain unbeaten, and it almost seems they are being drawn together by destiny. 

Australia’s Maddison Levi has been a standout, and on Saturday she looked around the Kai Tak Stadium and she reflected on how far the tournament, and the sport, had come. 

“I guess the other stadium had so much history and just for them to go bigger and better and create new memories at this stadium, it's a five-star stadium and it's unreal,” she said. “We're continuing to pave the way and grow women's sport in general through these [Hong Kong] Sevens.” 

The local teams also rose to the occasion, with both Hong Kong, China teams staying undefeated and setting themselves up for finals in the Melrose Claymores tournament on Sunday. 

There was a try on Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens debut for local lad Rory Stewart-Cox – and a memory to cherish for a lifetime. 

“It's so special for me,” he said. “Growing up in Hong Kong, coming here to this tournament so many times, watching the players, watching the Hong Kong team. To be able to be on the pitch, it's pretty surreal, and to score was really like a dream coming true.” 

The tradition on this day is to dress up – as an Egyptian Pharaoh, maybe a shark, or maybe even as a carrot, as one group chose to do. For Chris Briggs, in town from Perth, Western Australia, the choice was a Mexican lucha libre wrestler, a move he thought would make him stand out from the crowd – until he saw a group of five who had chosen to dress exactly the same way. 

“I guess I’ll now have to make friends with them all,” he said. “But I was told that’s what this event is all about – making friends.” 

The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolises intense, spectacular and signature events in the territory’s sports calendar.

Information and photo source : Elite Step Asia Limted / Hong Kong Sevens