Samuel Alerte, center, of France runs with the ball against Fiji during the Cup final on the Third day at the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament on April 7, 2019. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

One of Hong Kong’s biggest social events, the Rugby Sevens, is poised to return this year amid growing expectations that life will gradually return to normal in the coming months.

The event, part of the broader HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, is set to be held in Hong Kong on Nov 5-7, the organizer said in a statement Wednesday. Related events are also planned in Paris, Singapore, Dubai and Cape Town, it said. Talks are being held whether to also hold matches in London and Vancouver.

The Hong Kong Sevens would mark the first major sporting event to return to the city since the pandemic

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The Hong Kong Sevens would mark the first major sporting event to return to the city since the pandemic. The tournament, originally scheduled for April, was postponed by the organizer late last year as the city battled a rise in COVID-19 cases but infections have fallen recently to the point that the government began to relax some social-distancing rules.

READ MORE: Hong Kong Sevens canceled as virus thwarts rugby’s big party

Last year, the tournament was canceled for the first time since its debut in 1976 due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.