HONG KONG: The new Kai Tak Sports Park could be a gamechanger for sports development in Hong Kong.
As Hong Kong prepares to jointly host the National Games for the first time from Nov 9 to Nov 21 with China’s Guangdong province and Macau, the 28 hectares sports park will be among the main venues for the Games.
Situated in Kowloon City, the sports park which was officially unveiled in March, consists of the Kai Tak Stadium, Kai Tak Arena and Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
The 50,000 capacity stadium boasts special features like a retractable roof and air conditioning in every seat.
One only needs to press a button below the seat to feel cool air.
The stadium design is uniquely inspired by the theme “Pearl of the Orient” where from the outside it looks like a pearl.
“This sports park means a lot to Hong Kong as it’s unprecedented,” said director of strategic planning Tang King Shing during a guided tour of the sports park in Kowloon.
“Hong Kong has never had such a complex of sports facilities providing lots of possibilities. Football and rugby matches can be played in the stadium.
“The pitch surface is flexible and we can also remove the turf to hold concerts.
“From the outside, the stadium looks like a pearl. The colour in each of the panel is actually the same but changes when it reflects sunlight,” added King Shing.
More sports like badminton, volleyball, basketball, handball, five-a-side football, table tennis, tennis, gymnastics can be held in the Kai Tak Arena which has a capacity of 10,000.
While these two venues mainly cater for big sporting competitions and concerts, the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground has been built for community sports as well as major events.
“The Youth Sports Ground which has 5,000 seats, is suitable for hosting school sports days, athletic meets, local football and rugby matches as well as team and athletic training sessions,” said King Shing.
“With the exception of major events, this Sports Ground will be open daily to the public for jogging and walking free of charge.”
Hong Kong has also pulled out all stops to attract more people to the sports park by building the Kai Tak Mall in the same area.
The bowling competition will be held at Top Bowl Tenpin Bowling in the mall.
The total cost of the entire sports park is a whopping HK$31.9bil (RM17.23bil).
Hong Kong is going all out to raise the profile of sports in the country and accelerate sporting development.
It is also a historic moment for the country as they get ready to jointly host the 15th National Games with Guangdong and Macau.
The Games are held every four years and always a year after the Olympics.
The Hong Kong National Games Coordination Office was set up to work with Guangdong and Macau in organising the Games.
“One of the objectives of the National Games is to prepare the athletes for the Olympics,” said Yeung Tak Keung, who heads the coordination office.
“We will select those who perform the best to represent the country for the next Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, so this is their opportunity to prove themselves.”
“With this groundbreaking moment nearing, we hope that the organisation of the Games will be smooth and with this experience, we will be able to host bigger sporting events in the future.”
Rugby sevens, track cycling, men’s handball, fencing, golf, beach volleyball, basketball, triathlon and bowling will all be held in Hong Kong.
Golf will be held in the Fanling Golf Course (FGC) while track cycling will be in the Hong Kong Velodrome.
While Kai Tak Sports Park is less than a year old, FGC was built 114 years ago and is the oldest golf course in Asia.
FGC is run by the Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC) and has hosted the Hong Kong Open for over 60 years.
“We are deeply honoured and delighted that golf in the National Games will be held at FGC,” said HKGC director of communications Alex Jenkins.
“In preparation for the Games, teams from different provinces and cities have been regularly practising at the FGC.
“This has not only facilitated exchanges among elite golfers nationwide, but also demonstrated the ongoing, enhanced collaboration in sports development across China’s provinces and cities.
“We have accumulated extensive experience in hosting tournaments over the years. We are confident in our ability to successfully host the golf event,” added Jenkins.
Although not as old as FGC, the Hong Kong Velodrome which was unveiled in 2014, also has experience hosting big events such as the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
The Velodrome is the first-ever indoor cycling venue in Hong Kong that meets the standards of the International Cycling Union (Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI).
