Touch rugby's mixed format may lead to Olympics

The Hong Kong International Touch Championships kicked off on Sunday, marking the start of a week-long rugby celebration in the city. This event will lead up to the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium. Ricky Cheuk Ming-yin, a former star of the Hong Kong Sevens, believes touch rugby has a strong chance of being included in the Olympics. Cheuk, who represented Hong Kong in last year's Touch World Cup, was elected as a director of Hong Kong, China Rugby in November. He attended the touch championships at Happy Valley Recreation Ground, where 26 teams competed. Cheuk said the mixed version of touch rugby is appealing and could help local players prepare for the sevens teams. He envisions growing the touch championships into a two-day event as early as next year, doubling its current single-day format. Teams from mainland China, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan participated alongside local teams. Cheuk aims to enhance the tournament each year and strengthen the link between touch and sevens rugby.