The announcement, which was made by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), but which was first on insidethegames in September, means that the Scotland Sevens will relocate from its traditional home of Edinburgh to the recently renovated Scotstoun Stadium in the West End of Glasgow.

Glasgow will now host the penultimate round of the Series from May 5 and 6 next year and the Lapasset, recently re-elected as chairman of the IRB for another four-year term, has expressed his delight.

"Sevens continues to go from strength to strength and 2011 has been a year of significant milestones," said Lapasset.

"We have achieved record broadcast and attendance figures for the HSBC Sevens World Series, delivered a first IRB women's event alongside the Series, welcomed Japan as a new host country and two new venues in the Gold Coast and Port Elizabeth.

"We are delighted to be welcoming Glasgow to the HSBC Sevens World Series and I would like to thank the Scottish Rugby Union for its on-going commitment as a proud host and participating nation."

The move of the event from Edinburgh comes as the SRU looks to continue to grow rugby throughout the country.

It is also a major boost for Glasgow, who will host rugby sevens when the Commonwealth Games comes to the city in 2014.

Ibrox Stadium, the home of Scottish Premier League (SPL) club Rangers, is likely to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games rugby sevens event, with the Scotstoun Stadium set to be a training venue for the competition.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond expressed his delight at the move to Scotstoun.

"Scotland is well known as the home of rugby sevens and it will be tremendous to see this global spectacular staged in Glasgow," he said.

"It is a city that knows how to put on a show and I have no doubt that come May, the people of Glasgow will take great pride in staging another major international event.

"Sport can be a tremendous power for good in society; keeping young people fit, teaching them about fair play, camaraderie and teamwork.

"Sport provides role models for the young people in our country to look up to and learn from and it is only right that we support events such as the Glasgow Sevens.

"I'm very pleased that we are part of the launch today and we look forward to working with Scottish Rugby and all those involved in making the event a worldwide success."

Giles Morgan, the group head of sponsorship at HSBC, added: "The competition is proving even more exciting this season so by the time of the Scotland Sevens fans should be in for a treat as the teams race towards the end of the Series."

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