Hong Kong to Host 7th Leg of World Rugby Sevens Series 2015-16 Season

Jul 02, 2015 04:56 AM EDT

(Photo : Getty Images) HONG KONG - MARCH 29: Maka Unufe in action during the Australia vs United States HSBC Sevens World Series match as part of the Hong Kong Sevens, the sixth round of the HSBC Sevens World series at the Hong Kong International Stadium on March 29, 2015 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Hong Kong has been announced as the seventh stop in an expanded 10-city circuit for the upcoming HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2015-16 season, South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

Like Us on Facebook

Hong Kong will once again play a crucial role in the Asian circuit of the global World Rugby Sevens Series tour, hosting its seventh leg from April 8 to 10 in 2016. The Singapore Sevens, which was previously part of the IRB Seven World Series, will host the eighth leg of the World Series a week after the Hong Kong stop.

HSBC will continue to be the principal sponsor of the event through 2020 after agreeing to a four-year extension with World Rugby. The deal allowed the region's leading banking corporation to gain the naming rights of the men's World Rugby Sevens Series and the upstart women's World Rugby Sevens Series.

"Rugby sevens is going from strength to strength ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the men's and women's series have been at the heart of the global sevens success story with their winning brand of high-octane, competitive and broadcast-friendly action, global locations and festival atmosphere."

HSBC Holdings top executive Giles Morgan lauded the new deal with World Rugby Sevens, promising to provide all-out support for the development and promotion of men's and women's rugby around the world as the sport makes its debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

"HSBC became the first ever title sponsor of the men's World Series back in 2010, and we are excited to not only be extending this partnership for another four years, but also to become the first ever title sponsor of the increasingly popular women's World Series."

Here's the Schedule of HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for the 2015-16 Season: Round 1 Dubai - December 3-4, Round 2: Cape Town - December 12-13, Round 3: Wellington - January 30-31, Round 4: Sydney - February 6-7, Round 5: Las Vegas - March 4-6, Round 6: Vancouver - March 12-13, Round 7: Hong Kong - April 8-10, Round 8: Singapore - April 16-17, Round 9: Paris - May 14-15, and Round 10: London - May 20-22, 2016 (to be confirmed).