Sri Lanka losing its berth in the 2010 edition of the Hong Kong Sevens has been viewed by the local rugby fraternity as a disaster.

Hisham Abdeen, former national sevens coach, told The Island that it’s a pity that the islanders are out of the tournament despite making a strong impact at this year’s edition of the tournament.

"The team was peaking and we were slowly making the mark in international sevens rugby. It’s sad that we (rugby administrators) didn’t think far and do everything possible to improve the country’s sevens ratings," said Abdeen who coached Sri Lanka at the Hong Kong Sevens this year.

He said that he had often spoken about Sri Lanka needing more exposure at international sevens tournaments to gain experience a team and ensure player progress and added, "Sadly this hasn’t happened".

According to the International Rugby Board (IRB) official website, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Chinese Taipei and Thailand have booked slots at the 2010 edition of the Hong Kong Sevens, based on their ratings in Asian rugby sevens. Sri Lanka has been rated tenth in the Asian rugby sevens ratings.

It is reliably learned that Sri Lanka’s ratings in Asian sevens rugby suffered immensely by not contesting the Borneo Sevens in Malaysia, which is one of two IRB sanctioned tournaments.

Ajith Abeyratne, Chairman National Selection Committee, said that not making the line-up in Hong Kong would definitely have a negative impact on the country’s rugby sevens. "Sri Lanka not being there (In Hong Kong) means we lose a lot in the international rugby scene. It’s disappointing not to see our team continue playing in the Hong Kong Sevens," said Abeyratne.

Nizam Jamaldeen, a renowned international rugby referee, said that Sri Lanka would have to work twice as hard as other countries to earn its way back into line-up of teams at the Hong Kong Sevens. "Look at the improvements made by other teams like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Morocco. It would be very hard for Sri Lanka to make a comeback but the authorities must do all what is possible for ensure a revival in rugby sevens, in Sri Lanka. When considering the prestige at the Hong Kong Sevens, Sri Lanka has made a big loss, because nothing comes close to the Hong Kong Sevens in terms of an international rugby sevens tournament. It’s essential now to back the players fully and provide them with all facilities in comparison to other competitive teams in the international scene. The SLRFU must do everything for the game at this juncture, or otherwise the game itself might die," said a concerned Jamaldeen who has both played and officiated at the Hong Kong Sevens.

Sri Lanka is at present preparing to host the final leg of the Asian Sevens Series. Informed sources said the organizing of the tournament, scheduled to be held in late November, had hit a snag with one of the reasons being lack of finances.