Sports
Hong Kong Rugby Sevens 2025 draws record high audience
- 2025-04-01
- Society
- By: LEUNG Chi NgaiEdited by: Chun Lim LEUNG
- 2025-04-01
The first Hong Kong Sevens played at Kai Tak Stadium attracted more than 110 thousand fans, the highest since the tournament began in 1982, according to Hong Kong China Rugby . Argentina beat France 12-7 in the men’s cup final and New Zealand beat Australia 26-19 to take home the women’s cup. Hong Kong men's team won the Melrose Claymores against China’s national team, 31 to 7. “Although we were trailing in seven nil, our teammates’ mentality dedicated the comeback against China,” said Jack Combes, rugby player for Hong Kong China 7s men’s team. Matches were played over three days between March 28-30. Tha canopy over the brand new Kai Tak Stadium was closed on day one. “There was a bit more of an echo and sort of the volume, when there were glimpses of quiet, you need to be really clear to each other with your calls and communication,” Jack said. According to the press release from Hong Kong China Rugby, Kai Tak Stadium sold over 82,000 litres of beer and 350,000 food and beverage items over three days. Brodie Buckle, 44, an Australian manager of a home care services company, has travelled to more than five countries and watched the Rugby Sevens 20 times. He visited the Hong Kong Stadium 15 years ago. “Rugby fans are the best fans in the world because they are accepting of everyone”, Brodie said. “Everyone is willing to have a chat, they are willing to tell you about your hometown,” he said, “having multiple teams here is fantastic.” He was amazed by the architecture of Kai Tak Stadium. “How they envision this stadium and how it works out, it is really an incredible experience to have in its own sense,” he said.
Mega Event Rugby7S Kicks Off at Kai Tak Stadium for the First Time
- 2025-03-31
- People
- The Young Reporter
- By: Fu RongEdited by: Wing Chi HO
- 2025-03-31
The Hong Kong Sevens is underway at the new multi-billion dollar Kai Tak Sports Park. The rugby tournament is set to welcome more than 43,000 fans worldwide over three days with a total of 26 games. Reporter: Audrey FU Editor: Gigi Ho Wing Chi
Dodge it or catch it! Universities students gather to play dodgeball
- 2025-03-12
- The Young Reporter
- By: ALISHIBA MATLOOB、Chun Lim LEUNGEdited by: Wing Chi HO
- 2025-03-12
Hong Kong Universities Dodgeball Championships was held on March 2nd. As students from various institutions competed together. Organized by the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association, the event featured men’s, women’s, and mixed categories. Dodgeball is one of the newly emerged Hong Kong Sports. Reported by: Alishiba Matloob & Chun Lim LEUNG Nathan Edited by: Wing-chi HO Gigi
Hong Kong Rope Skipping Championship debuts in shopping mall
- 2025-03-11
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: TANG Siqi、ZHOU YunEdited by: Lok Tung LAU
- 2025-03-11
Hong Kong Rope Skipping Championships 2025 organized by Hong Kong Rope Skipping Federation (HKRSF) was held on March 8 at Olympian City 2. Previously held in the Yuen Long Jockey Club Building Sports Centre, this is the first time this competition was held in a shopping mall. “In the gym, only the family and friends of the athletes would be there to watch, but in the mall, many passersby would also stop and watch the game,” said Leung Kin-lok, 31, a member of Rope Skipping Sports Federation of Hong Kong. More than 400 players participated in this competition, the highest in five years. The event features speed and endurance races, as well as synchronised and wheel fancy dress races. “The mall provided us with site and security assistance, and we brought more foot traffic to the mall,” Leung said. “I think the change of venue this time is quite a successful breakthrough.” “By holding activities in places with a larger flow of people, we hope that more people can learn about the skipping rope culture and join this sport in the future,” said Leung. Kwok Long-yin, 13, said that he has been participating in this competition for 4 years, but competing in the mall really gives him a very special and enjoyable experience. "The atmosphere is great and many passing spectators cheer us on, which gives me greater confidence,” Kowk said. Since 2014, The Olympian City has been regularly organizing sports-related events, such as the Hong Kong Breakdancing Team Selection Competition and Summer City Sports Carnival. This rope skipping competition is held annually and it is the only selection for the Hong Kong China Team recognised by the International Rope Skipping Organisation. For this competition, only members of the HKRSF are eligible to participate. Competitors who score 20 points within …
Cross-border marathon to prepare for 15th National Games
- 2025-03-03
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Fu RongEdited by: AO Wei Ying Vinci
- 2025-03-03
Runners from Hong Kong and Shenzhen join the first cross-border marathon in a test event in preparation for the National Games to be held in November.
Kenyan runner takes first place in Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon
- 2025-02-17
- Photo Essay
- By: Fu RongEdited by: Chun Hei LUK
- 2025-02-17
Kenyan runner Rutto Bethwell Kipkemboi was the champion of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Feb 9, clocking in at 2:11:13 hours. “I never knew I could win. I struggled to beat the other seven to nine runners around 30 km. It's a hard win,” Bethwell Kipkemboi said. “Hong Kong people were friendly. With the cheering along the way, it was a good game.” This year, 383 local runners won the special incentive award with a cash prize of HK$1,000 each, reduced for the first time from the usual HK$10,000. The award is for permanent residents who finished the marathon in less than three hours for men and three and a half hours for women. “While prize money was a nice incentive, I didn't think it would diminish their desire to compete or pursue better results,” said Kwan Kee, the Chairman of the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates. “After finishing the race, I heard some runners complaining about the prize money, but I believed the process was the most important aspect,” said Tam Ho-hin, 23, a local amateur runner who finished the marathon. Around 74,000 runners participated in the marathon on the coldest day of the year, including 15,00 non-locals. The marathon started at Nathan Road and finished in Victoria Park. Hong Kong local and spectator Paddy Haughey made creative boards with her friends to encourage runners and their friends who took part in the race. “We wanted to make the race more exciting and interactive,” Haughey said. Tam Man-huen, 24, an artist, finished the concurrent 10km race. She said that professional as well as amateur runners enjoyed the race. “I thought such an atmosphere was only found in the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon,” Tam said. “It was cool to see so many people doing something …
Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon kicks off with expo at new sports park
- 2025-02-11
- By: Fu RongEdited by: Chun Hei LUK
- 2025-02-11
The starting gun for this year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon fired at 5am on Feb. 9, 2025 at Tsim Sha Tsui, but the Expo that launched this year’s race was still buzzing with excitement at Kai Tak Sports Park. The expo held from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8, 2025, was the first of its kind. In the past, runners would collect their marathon packs individually, but the expo provided a carnival atmosphere ahead of the marathon. With over 40 booths and a dedicated 'Runner's Wall' featuring the names of 74,000 past and present participants, this expo captured the spirit of the marathon: Challenge and Love. Dickson Cheung, a half marathon runner, brought his daughter Sue to the expo. “I am so happy to find my dad’s name on the board,” Sue said. Sun Xiao-tong, 37, a salesman from the mainland with his friend, Luo Hua, 28 came to Hong Kong for the race “I have taken part in other marathons before but the Hong Kong marathon is my first international race and I am also accompanying him,” Sun said. Burson Hong Kong, a PR agency in charge of the marathon said the expo allowed the entire community to take part. A special cheering recording team was designed for the expo so that members of the public could record encouraging messages for the runners A recording team walked around the venue inviting visitors to record their messages for the runners. Sunny Yeung, a worker from Standard Chartered marathon community said they have collected more than 1000 messages by the end of the expo. “The energetic and positive voice will be present near the exit of the Western Harbour Crossing to encourage runners,” Yeung said. Participants in both the marathon and the half-marathon had to run through the Western Harbour Crossing …
Kai Tak Stadium Debuts with Full-house Trial of U22 Football Match
- 2025-02-05
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHAN Wing Yiu、WANG LudanEdited by: AO Wei Ying Vinci
- 2025-02-05
Local football club Kitchee beat the North District team in Kai Tak stadium’s first youth football match yesterday with 50,000 in attendance. The Hong Kong Premier League Under-22 football match was a stress test for the stadium’s sports park set to open March 1,according to the government press conference. The Kai Tak Sports Park is the largest sports infrastructure in Hong Kong, including the 50,000-seat stadium, a 10,000-seat indoor sports center, a 5,000-seat public sports ground, and about 14 hectares of landscaped open space. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the players. I have never experienced such an impressive game with this amount of audience in my whole career as a football player,” said Chan Chi-hong, the head coach of the North District team. Chan said he was disappointed that the football field is artificial grass. “The grass matters a lot to football players. It could affect their overall performance,” he added. Dai Tsz-hin, a player of the North District team, said he was excited to kick off the match. “Even though most of the audience might not be football fans, I still heard them cheer for us, which makes me want to perform better,” he said. It is expected to enhance sports development and stimulate growth in various sectors, including recreation, entertainment, tourism, and the mega-event economy, according to the policy address 2024. Dan Tsang, 43, has been a local football fan for more than 30 years. When Tsang first heard about the plan to build this stadium, he doubted the need to spend this huge amount of money on a venue. “I am worried whether local football development in Hong Kong can make good use of a 50,000-seat stadium, as usually only around 2,000 people attend local matches,” said Tsang. The average number of audience members at local …
11 trail runners finish 2025 Hong Kong Four Trails with new rules
- 2025-02-03
- Photo Essay
- The Young Reporter
- By: LEUNG Chi NgaiEdited by: Chun Lim LEUNG
- 2025-02-03
15 trail runners from Asia gathered from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31 to participate in the annual Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC), along the MacLehose Trail, Wilson Trail, Hong Kong Trail and Lantau Trail. Runners who finish the 298 kilometers trail within 60 hours and 72 hours are classified as "finishers" and "survivors" respectively, according to the official site. The challenge kicked off at Tuen Mun on Jan. 29 at 9:44 pm. This year, there were 11 survivors, and for the first time since 2016, there were no finishers. Andre Blumberg, the founder of the HK4TUC was not surprised with the result. "This challenge was very difficult.You can't really take anything for granted," he said. Nugo Yamanath Limbu, 46, a Nepalese runner living in Hong Kong, was a finisher twice in 2020 and 2023. This year, he was the first to finish at 10:32 am on Feb. 1. It took him 60:49 hours. Nugo was happy though he wished he could have done better. “I spent 19 hours in Lantau Trail because of bad weather,” he said, “everybody made me enjoy it. It was nothing like that three years ago.” “It is impossible to check the phone when there is no watch allowed in long distance running,” said Nugo. Runners were prohibited from wearing any smartwatches this year in order to raise the difficulty of the challenge. "I don't think that's such a big deal," said Andre, "it may be a bit of a reminder that we've all become a bit too reliant on technology,". Takashi Wakiya, a Japanese runner who was in Hong Kong for the first time, finished the challenge within 67:44 hours. "The steps in Hong Kong were more steady and the inclination was much higher, compared to similar trails in Japan.” He said. “The …
Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is back after 7 years
- 2024-11-07
- The Young Reporter
- By: ALISHIBA MATLOOBEdited by: Jemima Badajos
- 2024-11-07
The Hong Kong Sixes tournament organised by Hong Kong Cricket Club and Kowloon Cricket Club was held from Nov 1 to 3 at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground. The tournament features 12 international teams including the Hong Kong team competing in a six-a-side, the fastest format in the sport.