SINGAPORE — The HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens may only be in its second year, but Rugby Singapore is already looking to the future as it targets a bigger, better tournament to ensure that Singapore remains an attractive stop for the World Rugby tournament when its four-year deal expires in 2019.

With this year’s event set to feature off-pitch entertainment and music, as well as a Fun Zone for families, Low Teo Ping, chairman of Rugby Singapore — the events and commercial arm of the Singapore Rugby Union — promised that fans can expect more next year.

Rugby Singapore is also aiming to expand the tournament into a week-long festival of rugby, said Low at the Singapore Sevens official kickoff media conference yesterday.

“It’s going to be one weekend running into the next and there will be a whole festival of rugby in Singapore, (the likes of) which you’ve never seen before,” he said. “It will not start from midweek, like we are doing right now, but from the prior weekend; we have on the cards two events that could actually take place then.”

Other fringe tournaments, such as the South-east Asia Sevens, the Midnight Sevens and Touch Rugby Sevens, will continue to be part of the build-up.

While the Republic has established itself as a destination for world-class sporting events, experts and industry insiders have highlighted increasing competition from cities in Asia and Europe. Media reports this week had identified Manchester as a strong contender to host the Women’s Tennis Association Finals when its deal with Singapore ends in 2018, while discussions for the renewal of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix’s five-year deal are ongoing.

Low is confident that the Singapore Sevens’ attention to every facet of the tournament will be key to impressing World Rugby as they look to extend their hosting rights. “We have a tremendous facility here, we are strategically located, we are a very safe city,” he added. “We (also) have 620 million people in South-east Asia — that’s a fantastic market (to tap into).”

Douglas Langley, World Rugby Competitions Operations Manager (Sevens), said yesterday that fan engagement will be key. “We need to engage them and keep them in the stands as much as possible,” he said.

Low is confident that the event will continue to win hearts, as he added: “That (continued improvement) is how this event can, in the end, become an iconic event — one that is second to none.”

Visit www.singapore7s.sg for more information about the event.