LCQ10: Effectiveness and regulation of Kai Tak Sports Park in promoting sports development
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Question:
In December 2018, the Government awarded a 25-year contract (the Contract) for the operation of the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) to Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (the operator). The Contract sets out a number of requirements, including key performance indicators (KPIs). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the details of sporting events held at (i) the Kai Tak Stadium, (ii) the Kai Tak Arena and (iii) the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground over the past year (set out in Table 1); whether the Government has assessed if the number of sporting events held at these venues meets the requirements of KPIs (e.g. the number of events held, the number of event days and the number of participants, etc);
Table 1
| Name of venue | Name of sporting event | Organiser | Date of event | Number of event days | Number of participants |
| (i) | ...... | ||||
| (ii) | ...... | ||||
| (iii) | ...... | ||||
| Total |
(2) given that, as stipulated in the Contract, the operator is required to ensure that the venue hiring charges for public bookings and the holding of sporting events are comparable to those charged by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for similar facilities, yet the industry has relayed that hiring KTSP venues involves a large number of supplementary service charges (such as cleaning, security and technical support fees), resulting in the overall charges being on the high side, whether the Government has established a mechanism to review the reasonableness of overall charging levels set by the operator and to require the operator to publish a schedule of fees for the various supplementary services so as to enhance transparency; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) given that, as stipulated in the Contract, the operator has committed to implementing the Raising the Game Scheme (formerly known as the Sports Events Support Scheme) with a total commitment of $1.583 billion to support major sporting events, of the details of the operator's sponsorship of sporting events in the first operating year (set out in Table 2); and
Table 2
| Name of project supported by the Raising the Game Scheme | Beneficiary sports organisation | Name of project | Date of event | Purpose of sponsorship (e.g. waiver of venue hiring charges, direct sponsorship, event collaboration and promotion, etc) | Amount of sponsorship |
| ...... | |||||
| Total |
(4) given that the Contract stipulates that if the operator fails to fully realise the commitment for the relevant operating year, the outstanding commitment shall be paid to the entities nominated by the authorities (such as national sports associations), how the Government will specifically handle such funds, and how it will ensure that, under the existing vetting and approval mechanism, the subsidies allocated to nominated entities will precisely deliver on the five major policy objectives of promoting sports in the community, supporting elite sports, maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhancing professionalism and developing sports as an industry;
(5) given that the Government has undertaken to establish a Joint Review Committee (the Committee) with the operator to review the operational effectiveness of KTSP and the operator's performance in fulfilling its contractual obligations, and that the Committee is to meet on a quarterly basis, with its subordinate monitoring subcommittee(s) meeting on a monthly basis, in respect of the aforementioned structure over the past year, of its (i) actual operation; (ii) progress of agenda items; (iii) accountability functions; and (iv) future plans; and
(6) as the industry has relayed that the operator's charging lacks transparency and that the priority accorded to sporting events in venue scheduling has been squeezed, in the event that conflicts arise in the venue booking schedules between cultural and entertainment performances (such as concerts) and sporting events, what mechanism the authorities have in place to effect a rational allocation, so as to ensure that KTSP does not deviate from its role and positioning as Hong Kong's landmark sports venue?
Reply:
President,
Since its official commissioning in March last year, the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP), has successfully hosted numerous mega events and its promising achievements in advancing sports development and mega-event economy have been evident to all. The Kai Tak Stadium, in merely nine months after its opening, achieved the third-highest ticket sales and the fifth-largest gross revenue among major global venues in 2025. It was also ranked eighth globally and first in Asia out of 28 shortlisted venues in the Stadium of the Year 2025 awards organised by StadiumDB.com, an authoritative international stadium database. Furthermore, the KTSP was named by Time magazine as one of the World's Greatest Places of 2026, the only attraction in Hong Kong on the list. These accomplishments clearly demonstrate the complementary effect generated by hosting both sports events and mega entertainment events at the KTSP in the past year. Through their synergistic effect, the KTSP has successfully established itself as a new hub for sports, leisure and entertainment. Building on the strong momentum since its opening, the Government will continue to work closely with the Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (the Operator) to maintain Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, promote sports in the community, support elite sports, develop sports as an industry, and enhance professionalism in sports, with a view to fostering the holistic development of sports on all fronts. Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Kenneth Fok is as follows:
(1) The KTSP is a world-class integrated sports, leisure and entertainment landmark. It also serves as a key platform for promoting the market-oriented development of sports infrastructure project and advancing the development of sports activities in Hong Kong into mega sports events while promoting sports in the community.
Since the opening of the KTSP on March 1, 2025 and up to April 30, 2026, the Kai Tak Stadium staged a number of international, regional and national sports competitions. They included two editions of the Hong Kong Sevens, three qualifying matches for the Asian Cup featuring the Hong Kong, China football team on home turf, three exhibition matches by world-class football powerhouses, and the rugby sevens competition of the 15th National Games, representing a total of 19 sports event days (excluding the time required for venue setup and dismantling), with a cumulative attendance of over 583 000.
During the same period, the Kai Tak Arena (Grand Hall and Sports Hall) also hosted numerous sports competitions ranging from local to international levels, as well as community sports events. They included two stagings of the World Grand Prix (snooker), the Hong Kong leg of Volleyball Nations League, the semi-finals and grand final of the top global esports event – the League of Legends Champions Korea Cup, the men's handball and fencing competitions of the 15th National Games, and five home games of Hong Kong's professional basketball team in the National Basketball League, etc, representing a total of 96 sports event days (excluding the time required for venue setup and dismantling), with a cumulative attendance of over 262 000.
The Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground and other indoor and outdoor spaces within the precinct also accommodated a large number of football and rugby matches, athletics meets and bowling tournaments during the same period. They included competitions organised by various National Sports Associations (NSAs), such as the rugby championship match between Hong Kong, China and Sri Lanka, the international friendly match between the women's football teams of Hong Kong, China and Malaysia, and the HKGX 2025 IBF World Championships (bowling), etc, representing a total of 138 sports event days (excluding time required for venue setup and dismantling), with a cumulative attendance of over 126 000.
In addition to hosting major sports events, the three aforementioned major venues, together with a variety of other venues and spaces (e.g. the bowling centre, outdoor sports facilities and open spaces), are open to the public for hire or for organising community sports activities at affordable prices when no event or group booking is scheduled. In the past year, a series of All Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Tournaments, as well as a range of flagship community sports competitions and activities (such as the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2026 Youth Run, Kai Tak Run, and Kai Tak Get Set Go!) were held at various venues and spaces within the precinct. From March last year to the end of April this year, the total number of days on which sports events were held across the entire KTSP exceeded 250 days (excluding time required for venue setup and dismantling), with a cumulative attendance of over 970 000, demonstrating the Operator's effective utilisation of the venues.
As highlighted by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) at this year's Budget press conference as well as the special meeting of the Legislative Council Finance Committee, the Operator is required to operate the KTSP in accordance with the provisions stipulated in the contract signed with the Government, and its performance is evaluated periodically against a set of key performance indicators (KPIs). The first year of the KTSP's operation marked the initial stage of its business development. When drawing up the contract, the Government included a ramping up arrangement, under which certain KPIs relating to venue utilisation (including the number of days on which sports events are held at each venue and the total attendance at such events) only took effect from the second operating year (i.e. the year ending March 31, 2027).
According to the contract signed between the Government and the Operator, the Kai Tak Stadium, the Kai Tak Arena (Grand Hall), and the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground together with other venues within the precinct are required to accommodate 40, 76 and 69 sports event days respectively in the year ending March 31,2027, with a total annual attendance of 600 000 at sports events. These indicators were set before the construction of the KTSP (i.e. in 2018), and are no longer fully suited to the current operational realities of the venues. For example, only the event day of competitions is currently counted towards sports event days while pre-event preparation works, such as turf conversion taking around two to three weeks as well as venue setup and dismantling taking around five to ten days, are not taken into account. Moreover, the indicators do not factor in the importance of events to sports development, their economic impact and benefits, etc. Given that the relevant indicators are currently unable to fully reflect the changes in the operational model of the KTSP, and as mentioned by the CSTB at the said press conference and the special meeting of the Finance Committee, we are reviewing the relevant indicators to ensure that the assessment mechanism can keep pace with the times and remain practical. This ensures that the Operator, with the enhanced performance indicators, meets the performance standards while maintaining operational efficiency and supporting the development of sports as an industry and the host city economy.
(2) The Government adopts a "Design, Build and Operate" model to take forward the KTSP project, with the aim of enabling the KTSP to operate on a market-oriented and self-financing basis. As such, the positioning and operational model of the KTSP cannot and should not be compared with government venues. Taking the 50 000-seat Kai Tak Stadium as an example, the stadium is equipped with a retractable roof and a flexible, modern pitch system. In addition, air-conditioning vents are installed beneath each seat and alongside the pitch to ensure an all-weather comfortable experience for spectators, athletes and performers. Each facility at the KTSP, being Hong Kong's landmark flagship venue, is of world-class standard and therefore entails higher requirements for operation, security and technical support as well as certain supplementary service charges. As a key base for the sports events industry, the KTSP has since its opening attracted multiple commercially viable large-scale sports events as well as cultural and entertainment events, bringing in substantial ticket revenues from organising mega events. Running the KTSP in a market-oriented model facilitates the establishment of a comprehensive ecosystem for developing sports as an industry. Regarding the requirements for supplementary services (including security and cleaning), the Operator and event organisers will discuss and agree on the required level of such services and the associated charges which may vary depending on the scale and nature of each event. Drawing on the experience gained over the past year, the KTSP will further streamline the required level of supplementary services and manpower to an optimal level, thereby enhancing the cost-effectiveness of these services.
In addition to hosting major sports events, the Operator continuously opens the KTSP's indoor and outdoor sports and recreational facilities for public booking. Under the contract, the charging standards for these facilities, apart from making reference to the rates of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, also comprehensively consider the charges of similar facilities provided by educational institutions and other non-profit making organisations, with a view to setting reasonable fees that are acceptable to the public. For example, the current hourly charges for community casual hire are $75 for an indoor badminton court, $50 for an indoor table tennis studio, and $160 for an outdoor tennis court during peak hours. These rates are broadly comparable to those charged by other non-profit making organisations in the community.
Over the past year or so, more than 68 000 people made bookings and used the facilities at the KTSP. The pickleball courts, in particular, have been extremely popular with the public, with utilisation rate peaked. In addition, various sports programmes have together recorded over 190 000 community sports hours. These figures demonstrate that the charging levels of the KTSP are in line with public expectations and its infrastructure has been effective in promoting sports in the community.
(3) and (4) The Operator has been implementing the Sports Events Support Scheme (now known as the Raising the Game Scheme) to support major sports events and provide funding for sports and related projects with potentials. Its total financial commitment under the Raising the Game Scheme (the Scheme) is $1.583 billion, spreading across approximately 20 years. From the commencement of operation of the KTSP to the end of its first operating year (i.e. from March 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026), the Operator's contractual commitment under the Scheme is $44 million.
According to the information provided by the Operator, during the above period, a total of 46 sports events were supported by the Scheme, involving an estimated total funding amount of nearly $52 million. The events supported by the Scheme covered a wide range of sports, such as various competitions hosted by different NSAs (including three Asian Cup qualifying matches organised by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, featuring the Hong Kong, China team on home turf, and a friendly match of the Hong Kong China Men's XVs against an Asian team organised by the Hong Kong China Rugby); multiple All Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Tournaments aimed at identifying young athletes with potential (covering sports such as handball, athletics, basketball and football); as well as community sports activities open to the public free of charge (such as the Hong Kong Paralympic Day 2025). Through various forms of support, including priority venue booking, rental concessions, event collaboration and promotion, the Scheme significantly promotes the five key policy objectives of sports development.
As the spending of the Operator under the Scheme has already exceeded its contractual commitment, there is currently no need to address any shortfall. In the second operating year, the Operator contractual commitment is $50 million. The Operator will continue to consider each application having regard to factors such as diversity and experiential value of the event as well as the organiser's financial plan, with a view to attracting more major local and international sports events to the KTSP.
(5) As the largest sports infrastructure and first integrated sports, leisure and entertainment landmark in Hong Kong's history, the KTSP holds an important strategic position. To monitor the Operator's performance and ensure the smooth daily operation of the KTSP, the Government and the Operator convene meetings of the Joint Review Committee on a regular basis. In addition to providing steer on the Sports Park's efforts in promoting sports development, these meetings offer advice on fostering the synergistic development of major sports events, innovative entertainment, dining, conventions and exhibitions, as well as tourism activities. Meanwhile, the Committee also draws up thorough plans for daily operations and major events on security deployment, crowd management, emergency response and other areas. A total of 19 meetings have been conducted since the commissioning of the KTSP 15 months ago. For each major event, the CSTB and relevant government departments together with the Operator and event organisers convene at least two to three working-level co-ordination meetings to ensure smooth operation.
The Government will continue to closely monitor the actual operation of the KTSP, taking into consideration factors such as market demand for sports events, cultural and performing arts activities, development trends of sports activities, and the KTSP's business model and daily operation, while providing the Operator with enhancement recommendations as appropriate to meet the long-term development needs of the precinct.
(6) Pursuant to the contract signed between the Operator and the Government, organisers of sports events may book venues at any time, whereas reservations for non-sports events (such as cultural and entertainment activities) can only be made up to no more than 24 months ahead of the event dates. In other words, organisers of sports events enjoy priority in venue booking. This arrangement enables sports event organisers to secure timeslots well in advance, thereby providing them with greater flexibility in bidding to host major international or regional sports events as well as accommodating the need to confirm competition schedules for large-scale tour events at an earlier stage.
In addition, the contract stipulates a set of KPIs that are related to areas pivotal to the promotion of sports development, including the opening of facilities to the public for sports use, facility utilisation rates, number of sports event days and attendance at those sports events, and sports programme enrolment hours, etc. The contractual and institutional design incentivises the Operator to allocate sufficient venues for sports use. This ensures that the operation of the KTSP remains centred on sports activities, thereby achieving its objective of promoting sports development.
Ends/Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:40
Issued at HKT 12:40
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