Policy Address 2025: Leveraging Kai Tak Sports Park to popularise sports in Hong Kong

John Lee Ka-chiu said in this year’s Policy Address that the government will support elite sports and leverage Kai Tak Sports Park to further develop the “sports + mega events” model in Hong Kong.

“We will continue to promote sports development by supporting elite sports, maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhancing professionalism in sports, developing sports as an industry and promoting sports in the community,” said Lee.

The Policy Address also focused on enhancing professionalism in sports, improving the functionality and positioning of sports venues, reviewing the governance of sports and boosting the publicity of sports by the media.

“Elite sports and popularisation are mutually supportive. Elite sports can promote public participation and ‘sports for all’ through the celebrity effect. Expanding the proportion of the grassroots in sports will in turn promote the selection of elites and further promote the popularisation of sports events,” said Patrick Lau, Professor and Associate Academy Director (Research) of the Academy of Wellness and Human Development of Hong Kong Baptist University. 

Hong Kong already plans to co-host part of this year’s National Games, the National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the National Special Olympic Games in November and December. 

The city’s portion of the National Games include bowling, track cycling, fencing, golf, Rugby Sevens, a triathlon, beach volleyball, men's handball and men's U22 basketball.

The golf will be played in Fanling, and the Hong Kong Golf Association has announced that Xu Longyi, individual gold medalist of the Hangzhou Asian Games, will represent Hong Kong.

“To attract more world-class players to compete in Hong Kong, we have agreed on a multi-year partnership arrangement with LIV Golf, one of the most important golf tours in the world,” said Lee.

"Kai Tak Sports Park is an important vehicle for the eventisation and industrialisation of sports in Hong Kong. We will capitalise on the strengths of the Sports Park to promote the development of the ‘Sports + Events’ model," Lee added.

The positioning of the Hong Kong Stadium will be reviewed to complement Kai Tak Sports Park, including optimising the use of existing facilities to support sports development, such as providing office space for National Sports Associations, conducting ball games and related training and organising major sports events, according to the policy address.

"Industrialisation is the side product of sports eventisation, and the government will join hands with the industry to launch different tourism products related to the games,” Lau said. 

The government said it will assist the local media to expand their network beyond Hong Kong to tell good stories of Hong Kong. 

"Arrangements have been made for local free television stations to broadcast the National Games and the Paralympic Games so that the general public can cheer for the athletes," Lee added.  

Lau said the government and the media need to do more publicity about the National Games as a whole as currently people do not know enough about the historical background and importance of the National Games. 

"In some sports, such as table tennis and badminton, the Games have become more prestigious than the Olympic Games. The government and the media need to do more publicity in this regard, in order to make better use of this mega event to continue to promote sport popularity and professionalism in Hong Kong," said Lau.