Welshman Dai Rees has been the Hong Kong Sevens coach since 2008.
The Asia Wall Street Journal ‘s Marissa Wong has written a fine story about Sevens Rugby’s “late starter.”
My favourite:
When I was playing, I always made sure to polish my boots with newspaper every Saturday morning before a game. I’d do that and eat poached eggs on toast. I only had one pair of boots and was brought up to take care of them every week. You couldn’t play a game in dirty boots.
I visited the “hangar” at the West Kowloon Cultural District this afternoon, a day before the first-ever Red Bull Flugtag in Asia comes to the waters of Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong.
And into the waters they will go… all 41 teams and all their meticulously constructed craft.
Knowing full well what awaits, one thing you can be sure of though is that they know they’re going in the drink…
Some with style,
Some with class and
All of them with a hellavu lot of fun!
Walking around the hangar, I couldn’t believe the amount of work that was going on.
Some were cutting, others sawing, some more were glue-ing, tying and whatever else was needed to get their craft ready before 12noon tomorrow.
The ones standing around were there for moral support and to fetch some cold Red Bulls from the well-stocked fridge.
Snip-snip, paste-paste… getting the last-minute details right before the big day. (Pic: Mike Jansen)
Some just stood around looking absolutely beautiful in the sponsor’s attire! (Pic: Mike Jansen)
Tomorrow’s FlugTag will not be short of celebrities with (actor/pilot/all-round celebrity) Michael Wong and (lang mo/pseudo model) Chrissie Chau making an appearance on the judging panel. However, there will be at least one real celebrity (in my books) actually taking part. Look who I bumped into in the hangar:
Hong Kong’s own Mr Magician on the rugby pitch… Keith Robertson
The Red Bull Flugtag flies off:
Tomorrow: Sunday 10/10/10 (10 October 2010)
Time: 12 noon
Venue: Kowloon Heliport (West Kowloon Cultural District)
During the Chinese New Year period, Hong Kongers traditionally flock to temples to pray for a good year ahead. However, the superstitious also take part in rituals that they believe foretell the future, or at least the year ahead.
It was no different on the second day into the Year of the Tiger. Here in Hong Kong is has become customary for a a lawmaker (member of the territory’s legislature) to visit a popular temple to take part in a ritual that will predict the next year for Hong Kong. The ritual takes place on the second day of Chinese New Year at a suburban temple, and is eagerly awaited by residents and media alike.
The outcome of the ritual, however, does not always bode well for “Asia’s World City” and regional financial hub. SAPA reports that in 2003, home affairs minister Patrick Ho picked number 83, an unlucky number according to Chinese custom.
His selection was followed by 12 months of crisis in which the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus killed several hundred people and ruined the economy, while unprecedented political protests left the government in turmoil.
This year it was the turn of Hong Kong councillor Lau Wong Fat.
Hong Kong lawmaker Lau Wong Fat shaking the tin of fortune sticks (Pic: news.yahoo.com/AFP)
And it was good news for all in Hong Kong. In a closely watched ritual, lawmaker Lau Wong-fat shook a bundle of numbered bamboo fortune sticks until one fell to the ground, number 53, which was later interpreted by a stick-reader to be the harbinger of better times.
The draw was good news for Lau whose unlucky pick of 27 in 2009 – the Year of the Ox – predicted doom and gloom for the city of seven million as it was wracked by the global financial crisis.
All that we can add to that is: Sjoe! That was close.
