Crouch, touch ... engage | What winning world games gold means to disciplined services side – and Hong Kong rugby
The internet connection between Fairfax in Virginia and Hong Kong has been buzzing overnight with the news that our disciplined services men’s sevens team struck gold at the World Police and Fire Games.
The internet connection between Fairfax in Virginia and Hong Kong has been buzzing overnight with the news that our disciplined services men’s sevens team struck gold at the World Police and Fire Games.
The Hong Kong lads won the Division 2 gold medal Thursday with a hard-fought 10-7 triumph in the final against the Royals, a services team from Berkshire in the UK.
This biennial multi-sport event is, in a good year, bigger than the Commonwealth Games. I’m not kidding – between the grand opening held on June 26 and this Sunday’s closing ceremony, Fairfax will have hosted 12,000 athletes from 70 countries competing in 61 sports.
There is traditionally a healthy Hong Kong delegation with police rugby teams competing at Stockholm in 1999 and Barcelona in 2003, and then competing as a combined disciplined services side in New York in 2011.
I know how much this will mean to the team – they’ve trained really hard in the lead up to the games
Four rugby teams took part this year, with the police also entering a men’s team alongside the disciplined services, plus the “Old Bill” veteran side and the police ladies.
