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One of the unique aspects of the Canada Sevens has been the number of fans who attend the tournament practically from dawn until dusk: even in the first year, organizers have said the crowd in the stands for the first game of the day on the first day was around 10,000. That’s not seen elsewhere in the series.

And the enthusiasm of the fans has been noted by players.

“Un stade magnifique,” France star Julien Candelon said in 2016. “You don’t think you are in a foreign country because everybody supports you.”

Rees said he expects the quality of bids from around the world to fill the 10 stops on the series will be better than ever and his message to fans who either already have tickets or who are still thinking of buying tickets — there are still some general admission tickets left — is bring that energy for a third year in a row.

“Our fans can help us by showing World Rugby we’re growing still,” he said. “Help us show how great this event already is.”

A new feature this year is “Sevens House,” an Olympics-style event house just outside B.C. Place Stadium. There will be pre- and post-tournament parties at the house, which will take over the Boston Pizza that sits near B.C. Place’s Beatty Street gates, just like the various provincial and country houses that were dotted around Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Games.

“So many people had great vibes from 2010. We’ve found a way to tap that,” Rees said.

And that’s got Rees and company thinking about how to keep expanding the tournament’s footprint in the city. When they first won the right to host the event, the organizing team, led by former Canucks’ and Whitecaps’ game operations boss Jamie Levchuk and Vancouver 2010 executive Bill Cooper, focused on making the in-stadium experience as fun as possible. They’ve achieved that.