TWO CANADIAN HSBC WORLD RUGBY SEVENS SERIES EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER

July 9, 2021 (Langford, BC) – Rugby Canada is thrilled to confirm a unique opportunity for Canadian 7s fans with Canada being awarded the opportunity to host two HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series events in September. On-going work continues with governments, stakeholders and partners to receive final COVID -19 safety protocol approvals to ensure the safety of participants and attendees. These tournaments, if able to move forward, would mark the first Sevens Series events on Canadian soil since the HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver in March, 2020.

September 18/19th is slated for the return of HSBC Canada Sevens to BC Place in Vancouver. Tournament logistics, including team invitations and stadium capacity, are being finalized and further information will be made available prior to public ticket on-sale which is currently scheduled for early August. British Columbia is in Step 3 of their Provincial restart plan, and Step 4 is scheduled to start September 7th prior to the event. It is anticipated that capacity at BC Place will be limited in accordance with Provincial health guidelines. Based on past years attendances, fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early when they are made available.

“BC Rugby fans everywhere have been waiting to cheer on our Canadian players since they last played at BC Place in March. We are thrilled to welcome the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series back to B.C., ” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “It is so exciting to be able to safely return to hosting large sporting events again – for the players, the workers and the fans. This is an important part of our province’s economic recovery and I can’t wait to see our National 7s team in action.”

September 25/26th is scheduled for the debut of the HSBC Canada Sevens at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, AB. Immediately following the Vancouver event, the competing national 7s teams will head Northeast for a second consecutive weekend of action in Canada! Alberta is in Stage 3 of their Open for Summer Plan, allowing for a planned stadium set-up that will accommodate just over 31,000 fans per day at Commonwealth Stadium. Ticket on-sale is scheduled for July 22nd and further information and pricing will be released next week.

"Rugby continues to grow in popularity in Canada, and Edmonton Events is honoured to partner with Rugby Canada to host one of the stops on the World Rugby Sevens Series for the very first time in Edmonton," said Janelle Janis, Director of Edmonton Events. "We look forward to hosting the athletes and their fans as we show the global rugby community why Edmonton has earned our reputation as a premier sporting event destination."

Vancouver and Edmonton will join Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Cape Town in hosting the 6 tournaments that will make up the 2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for men. Paris will join Hong Kong, Dubai and Cape Town to present 4 women’s events for the 2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Both Series schedules have been impacted by the global COVID pandemic, and the health and safety of players, teams and all involved remains the top priority as all stakeholders continue to closely monitor global developments with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s shaping up to be a very busy Fall for our teams and staff but combined with our recently announced 2023 Rugby World Cup qualification matches, what a way to bring international rugby back to Canada,” said Rugby Canada CEO Allen Vansen. “Hosting four events across three different Provinces, combined with the return of our community game in most regions, is so encouraging for rugby and sport in Canada. On behalf of Rugby Canada, I thank World Rugby for these opportunities to bring the spirit of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series back to Vancouver and introducing it to another Canadian host city!”

Jamie Levchuk, Managing Director of Business Operations added, “Events aren’t able to move forward in today’s pandemic-influenced environment without a number of stakeholders working together. I therefore must give sincere thanks to the Governments of BC and Alberta for their support of our efforts to host these world-renowned events, along with Sport Hosting Vancouver and Edmonton Events. We also have a dedicated family of corporate supporters led by global title sponsor HSBC, global partner DHL, and our Premier Partner Grosvenor, while the Government of Canada has continually supported these events since their debut in 2015.”

Levchuk continued, “Our partners and host venues have come together with solution-oriented approaches so that we could explore bringing these events to Canada while ensuring the safety of participants and fans.”  

Updates on each event, including further ticket information and broadcast details, will be made as available. To read more about the 2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, please see the release from World Rugby here.

Information on the 2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, including annual events in Vancouver and Langford, will be released later this summer.

-30-

About Rugby Canada:

Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby XV’s and 7s, as well as govern the Club and community game for more than 30,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members.

Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, with staff also working from Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Canada Sevens annual tournaments.

For more information, please contact: media@rugby.ca.