The Emergence, Cessation & Resurgence of Rugby Union in Hong Kong

Sport, politics and business have each made a significant impact on the economic development and world standing of both Hong Kong (HK) and China since the arrival of the British Forces during the early 1800s.1 1. Hong, ‘Communist China and the Asian Games’, 479–92; Hong, ‘Doping and Anti-Doping in China’, 314–33; Lee, ‘Negotiating Sporting Nationalism’, 192–209.
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These seemingly individual contexts have become inextricably linked throughout the era of colonial rule, at times working symbiotically to covertly influence the course of events in various social, political and sporting arenas. The discussion presented here reflects specifically on the emergence, cessation and resurgence of rugby union in HK up to the present day, acknowledging and analysing not only the mitigating social and economic factors that prompted the propagation of the game but also how Colonial and Chinese politics influenced proceedings that had a major bearing on the development of Hong Kong as a region whilst enabling the sport of rugby union to flourish.