Dan Carter hails impact of Hong Kong 7s as it celebrates landmark amid Olympic boom

The Hong Kong 7s has celebrated its 50th year in 2026 and continues to be breeding ground for talent with the sport’s elite now being able to showcase their talents at the Olympics

All Blacks icon Dan Carter admits the Hong Kong 7s “blows his mind” every time he rocks up with the event celebrating its 50th year as 7s rugby continues to enjoy a blossoming profile.

The annual event in Hong Kong takes place this weekend with Carter, a HSBC ambassador, among those attending. He watched as a fan during his playing days and insists it is the premier event you think of whenever you picture the seven-man game.

Carter played Test matches in Hong Kong with the All Blacks on occasion, and remembers watching when little-known names ripped it up, only to become global superstars. Jonah Lomu and Joe Rokocoko were among those to use the Hong Kong 7s as part of their pathway to New Zealand greatness.

Carter told Mirror Sport: “When you think of 7s rugby, you think of Hong Kong 7s. The fact its been here for 50 years, is an incredible feat. It has unearthed so much talent in the past. Being a New Zealander you think of Christian Cullen, Jonah Lomu and Joe Rokocoko.

“There was an era there where it was just breeding young men who no one had heard about, all of a sudden they’re playing at the Hong Kong 7s and then before you know it they’re household names.”

Hong Kong has long been a global hub and is the fourth-most densely populated region in the world. That all lends itself to a party atmosphere and Carter believes that the locals throw themselves into embracing the sport and the event when it comes round.

He said: “The city itself, when you come here for the first time you’re gobsmacked, everything is congested and it is such an international hub. There’s so much energy, so much going on and your senses just explode from the sights, the smells, the lights. So to focus and play a game with everything that’s so new to New Zealanders really made it a special Test week. In this part of the world they can be a bit starved of rugby so they get really behind it.”

The profile of 7s has skyrocketed over the past decade, in part owing to its inclusion in the Olympics. France star Antoine Dupont chose to put his 15s career on hold in 2024 as he prepared for the games in Paris, where he would inspire the French to winning the gold medal.

Carter admits its simplicity, coupled with its entertainment value, makes it the perfect game for newcomers to the sport. “It is really easy to understand, I think that’s why its an Olympic sport. You can get people who aren’t from rugby nations understanding what it is and that brings it together,” he said.

“It is about the entertainment, you have incredible matches on the pitch, but it is so easy to understand. In the non-rugby market there’s a really opportunity there, which is why the Hong Kong 7s series exists – it goes to the likes of Spain and America – so if you’re not a rugby purist you can understand the game and its a great introduction to the sport.”

This year HSBC has introduced a new platform called ‘Let’s SVNS this city’ which will be showing up across all legs of the series. ‘Let’s SVNS this city’, is a celebration of the network of cites that make up the international Series, a spotlight on the unique qualities of each event and the fans that attend.