Hong Kong welcomed back its iconic Sevens rugby tournament for a 50th year on Friday, with an opening ceremony featuring robots, K-pop and a light show almost as sparkling as some of the action on the pitch.

Not even a hole in the roof of the HK$30 billion Kai Tak Stadium could put a dampener on proceedings, even if the rain that leaked in left some fans running for cover.

Even so, the thunderstorms that hovered over the city for much of the afternoon did little to deter spectators generally, with organisers announcing before the first day’s matches had started that all three-day tickets were sold out, leaving just a handful of single-day seats available on ticketing platform Klook.

And while the record daily attendance that officials had hoped for did not materialise, some 34,368 fans passed through the gates over the course of the day.

Those who made the trip got to see the city’s men and women make contrasting starts to their Melrose Claymores competitions, with the former brushing aside China 36-14, and the latter needing a last-gasp score from Chong Ka-yan to secure a 14-14 draw with Denmark.