Sporting Event: World Rugby Sevens

With all the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought this past year, fans will be happy to see the return of World Rugby Sevens for its 2021 series. The 2021 series will see a condensed schedule of five women’s and four men’s rounds. In addition they have discussed adding two more men’s rounds at later dates. The return of the Rugby Sevens is thanks to World Rugby working closely with a wide range of partners, organisations and unions.

Series 2021

The series kick off on May 15^th – 16^th with rounds taking place in Hong Kong, Dubai, Cape Town and Paris. World Rugby are also considering further events for London and Vancouver. That said, the uncertainty of the pandemic could mean that dates may change. Some teams may be unable to play due to travel restrictions, and everyone will need to observe strict health measures. Here are some key issues that World Rugby will be dealing with for the 2021 series.

Player and Fan Health

The main concern for all is the safety of everyone during World Rugby Sevens Series 2021. Therefore, World Rugby has released a set of guidelines developed in consultation with medical experts. These guidelines include measures on quarantining, social distancing and proper hygiene. They are designed to protect both players and fans of the game. In this way World Rugby hopes the event can make a safe and speedy return. The guidelines will be updated regularly based on ongoing feedback to ensure a successful 2021 series.

Fan Engagement

By having to build a new strategic plan for World Rugby Sevens Series 2021, World Rugby are aiming to advance the event with a number of changes. World Rugby have focused their attention on the areas of participation, engagement, competition and the game itself. They have done this by unifying different competitions, including new men’s and women’s tournaments. In this way they hope to create an event structure that fans will find even more compelling. They hope to increase the global following of these events by 10% in the next few years by building more engagement between fans and events, optimising digital platforms, and so on.

Community Enjoyment

World Rugby hopes that the Rugby Seven event grows into an international global sport that appeals to and is inclusive of a diverse community of fans. In addition to the combined UK team the GB Sevens, international teams from New Zealand, Japan, Fiji and the United States are expected to join.

The series will begin with back to back women’s events in Paris on 15^th – 16^th and 22^nd – 23^rd of May. The series will then break for the Tokyo Olympics and recommence with a men’s event in Singapore on 29^th – 30^th October. Following this there will be joint men’s and women’s rounds in Hong Kong on 5^th – 7^th November and Dubai on 3^rd – 4^th December. The final climax, baring potential further events in London and Vancouver, will occur in Cape Town on 10^th – 12^th December. World Rugby hope that this inclusive global event continues to grow a substantial international community in the coming years.

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