Hong Kong Touch World Cup teams starting to create something ‘extraordinary’
- City rugby stars among 96 players poised for global event in England, where six Hong Kong teams will battle it our across multiple age groups
The Hong Kong teams poised to compete for Touch World Cup honours are “starting to build something extraordinary”, according to a leading figure in the sport.
Nearly 100 players across six teams will represent the city in England, from July 15, five years after only one Hong Kong side went to the 2019 World Cup in Malaysia.
Among the city’s 96-strong playing contingent are the former Hong Kong sevens star, Ricky Cheuk Ming-yin, and Ivy Kwong Sau-yan, a veteran of the 2017 women’s Rugby World Cup.
Cheuk, who retired in 2009 following two serious knee injuries, believes the code has the potential to replace sevens as an Olympic sport.
“This World Cup will increase touch’s profile, and encourage more people to play,” Cheuk said. “Hopefully, the [Hong Kong] union and government can get behind us more, and it can take off.”
Diana Li, the chairwoman of Hong Kong China Touch, has been one of the driving forces behind the city’s increased presence on the global stage.
