 UBS AG Hong Kong, the principal sponsor of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union National Teams today, hosted the Men's and Women's Hong Kong Sevens Squads at a special meet & greet session with the media at UBS headquarters at Two International Finance Centre. The squads were congratulated on their achievement by Rory Tapner, CEO and Chairman of UBS AG in Asia Pacific and Chi-Won Yoon, CEO and Country Head of UBS AG Hong Kong Branch, and by Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) Executive Director Allan Payne at the launch.
Entering its 12th year as a sponsor of the HKRFU, UBS broke new ground in its support for Hong Kong rugby by hosting the first combined Men's and Women's Sevens squads announcement which included a unique finance-themed photo call on the UBS trading floor.
UBS is the principal sponsor of the Men's Senior National Teams encompassing all HKRFU National Team age grades, including Men's U14, Men's U16, Men's U18, as well as the Women's U19 and the Men's and Women's Senior National Teams at both sevens and 15-a-side.
Chi-Won Yoon commented on the expanded partnership saying: "UBS is very proud to be a partner of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union and, in particular, of its principal sponsorship of the Hong Kong national representative teams."
 "Since entering into partnership with the HKRFU in 1996, I am delighted to note that the popularity of rugby in Hong Kong has increased exponentially. This year, 10 of the 16-man Hong Kong squad preparing to take part in the flagship Cathay Pacific / Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens and 11 of the 14-woman squad for the Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens were born and bred in Hong Kong. UBS remains committed to its involvement in the Hong Kong community through its support of rugby from youth level through to the senior squad and wishes our national sevens teams every success," added Tapner.
Strong media interest in attending the launch presages the growing interest ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 Asia Qualifiers to be held in Hong Kong this October. The Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 will be the first Rugby World Cup event to host both Men's and Women's competitions simultaneously.
The Men's Squad announced today is the final training squad ahead of the team's tour to Singapore over Easter where the coaches will review the performance of the squad members in training games against local club sides. The final 12-man squad will be announced in the week of 24 March 2008.
The Hong Kong Men's VII is grouped in Pool F at the Hong Kong Sevens alongside Australia, Tonga and France. After a first-class performance in 2007 when the squad reached the Plate Competition, the team will be looking to achieve another strong result in 2008. Hong Kong has the honour of opening this year's Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens with its first game against Australia at 16:30 on Friday 28 March at the Hong Kong Stadium.
The Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens squad announced today is also the final training squad for the tournament. The next week will see the management team further gauge the progress and form of the players ahead of the final team announcement. The Hong Kong Women's Rugby VII is in a challenging group alongside USA and the Netherlands in Pool A of the Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens. The Cup Final of the Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens will be played as part of the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens at the Hong Kong Stadium at 18:42 on Friday 28 March 2008.
The Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens will take place at the Hong Kong Stadium between Friday 28 March and Sunday 30 March 2008, while the Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens will be held at So Kon Po on 27 and 28 March 2008.
About the UBS HKRFU Partnership
 UBS AG (Hong Kong) is proud to be associated with the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union as 'principal sponsor' of the Hong Kong national representative teams. UBS's partnership with the HKRFU was forged in 1996. In 2007, UBS extended its partnership to include support of the men's, women's and youth teams, allowing both UBS and the HKRFU to cooperate in the development and support of rugby in Hong Kong at every level.
The HKRFU's flagship event, the Hong Kong Sevens, is a landmark in the local sporting calendar and a centrepiece for client entertainment across UBS's business. In excess of 3,000 key clients are entertained over the span of the three-day tournament, tickets for which are some of the most sought-after in town.
UBS looks forward to enhancing its partnership with the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union in the years ahead and wishes the Hong Kong Men's Sevens squad great success in its participation at the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2008. UBS also extends its best wishes for the Hong Kong Women's Sevens squad in the forthcoming Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens and to all of the HKRFU National Teams in their matches at home and abroad.
For more information on UBS please visit www.ubs.com.
For more information on the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2008 please visit the HKRFU's official Sevens website at http://www.hksevens.com.
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Released on behalf of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union by Octagon Greater China Limited.
For further enquiries, please contact Sean Moore or Andy Yeung on tel: 852 2534 5039 / 5014 respectively; by fax to: 852 2598 0280 or by email: sean.moore@octagon.com or andy.yeung@octagon.com.
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