The Fijian Bitter Marist 7s will celebrate its 41st tournament on March 24-25 at the ANZ Stadium in Suva

The spinoffs from the tournament which started in 1976 has turned village boys into rugby idols and helped lift the profile of the Hong Kong Sevens to what it is today.

We can only look back and praise the strong partnership between the Marist Rugby Club and Paradise Beverages over the years.

It started with five cartons of beer as prize-money by the then Carlton Brewery (Fiji) Limited to a massive $55,000 sponsorship from Paradise Beverages next month.

Tournament cannot survive without sponsors.

The HK Sevens could not have lasted without the support of Cathay Pacific Airways and the World Sevens Series is forever popular with the input by the Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC).

Paradise Beverages Fiji sales and marketing manager Joe Rodan Snr commended the effort put into the tournament through the years to make it a successful one and a breeding ground for many of the country’s top rugby players.

Last year we celebrated Fiji winning gold at the Rio Olympics which capped off a perfect year in our dominating the sport after also defending the World Sevens Series for two years-in-a- row.

The Vodafone Fijian 7s team has yet to win a tournament after two legs.

The team departs for the Las Vegas-Vancouver leg next week.

And there is no better place for Coach Gareth Baber to test and scout for the best talents for Hong Kong–Singapore leg than at the Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens.

After all it was where it all started 41 years ago and making us a proud rugby nation today.

Edited by Inoke Momoivalu

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