Kai Tak Stadium dazzles Hong Kong Sevens fans but long queues spoil party

Hong Kong Sevens fans have praised the new Kai Tak Stadium for its beauty, cleanliness and amenities but a few kinks on day two of the event have left some spectators yearning for rugby tournaments of old.

Seating arrangements, the distance from traditional party areas and frustration over long queues and sold-out refreshments were among fans’ complaints about the 50,000-seat stadium on Saturday.

“It’s a beautiful-looking stadium, but there is room for improvement,” said Mona Gadalla-Carter, a 43-year-old Hong Kong resident of Finnish origin.

Gadalla-Carter has attended Sevens tournaments since she was a teenager in the mid-1990s, when the event was held at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay.

She said she was impressed by the lighting and retractable roof at Kai Tak Stadium but less enamoured with the number of seats reserved as corporate boxes along the lower levels of the East and West stands.

Many spectators were being redirected towards the stadium’s upper levels by 12.45pm, while seats in the corporate boxes nearer the pitch remained empty.