HSBC Sevens, World Rugby’s top-tier rugby sevens series has been rebranded to HSBC SVNS and will take place across eight cities as a festival event under a new format.
As part of the rebrand, banking giant HSBC, the series’ naming partner for 12 years, has extended its deal for another four years.
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HSBC Group chief executive, Noel Quinn, said: “Through many years of working closely with World Rugby to showcase and support the sport around the world, HSBC has become synonymous with the World Rugby Sevens.
“I’m particularly proud of the new opportunities that we have helped to open up by taking the sport into new markets, supporting the growth of the women’s game, and giving tens of thousands of young people the chance to try rugby for the first time.
“I’m delighted that our hugely successful partnership with World Rugby will continue for years to come, and that HSBC will be able to help the sport reach even greater heights.”
The revamped HSBC SVNS will launch from December 2 to 3 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with 12 men’s 12 and women’s teams competing at the same location, with the number of men’s teams reduced from 16 to 12 to align with the Olympic competition model.
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By GlobalDataThe festival will then travel to Cape Town, South Africa from December 9 to 10; Perth, Australia from January 26 to 28, 2024, Vancouver, Canada from 23 to 25 February; Los Angeles, USA from March 2 to 3; Hong Kong from April 5 to 7; Singapore from May 3 to 5; before ending in Madrid, Spain from May 31 to June 2.
The top eight placed teams at the end of Singapore SVNS will compete in the new grand final in Madrid, where the women’s and men’s SVNS champions will be crowned.
Madrid will also host the relegation play-off competition where the teams ranked 9th to 12th after Singapore will compete with the top four teams from the second-tier World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series, with the top four teams gaining spots in next year's SVNS.
All seven rounds and the Grand Final of SVNS have equal participation fees for the men’s and women’s competitions, with World Rugby’s investment in participation fees also increasing by 70%.
World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said: “We are excited to be launching HSBC SVNS, the supercharged new identity for our Olympic format, with iconic destinations and a new concept on and off the field, broadening the reach and appeal of the sport beyond its traditional audiences.
“Our ambition is for SVNS to be at the forefront of our growth strategy, appealing to a younger, leisure-hungry audience. In eight iconic destinations played over seven months, we will bring together a truly immersive festival of rugby, music, food, and experiences to create the ultimate weekend-long get-together for young people, the hottest ticket and open a new era for the sport.
“For the first time in rugby sevens history, all locations will be unified under the same approach, meaning that the overall experience is the same and we can optimize commercial revenue for reinvestment, including playing our part in ensuring that sevens is a viable career path for the talented players and Olympians.
“We are delighted to be extending our long-standing and impactful title partnership with HSBC. They share our passion to grow the sport in new nations and communities and have played an instrumental role in advancing the reach and success of the sport, particularly at the community game level. We are excited by the opportunity we have in front of us to work with HSBC to take SVNS to the next level.”
