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Hong Kong eyes turning park section into sports facility to help develop sector, city’s Paul Chan says

  • City’s finance chief says having ‘complete hardware is indispensable’ when promoting development of sports in Hong Kong
  • Chan champions emerging sports as offering ‘closer connections’ among residents, while promising to include activities such as climbing, skateboarding at centres

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Financial Secretary Paul Chan (right) during last week’s skateboarding session with professional athlete Luk Chun-yin. Photo: Handout
Oscar Liu

Hong Kong will develop its sports sector by making improvements to existing facilities, including turning a section of a park in Kowloon into a centre for indoor and outdoor pursuits, the city’s finance chief has revealed.

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Authorities were looking to redevelop a basketball court at Jordan’s George V Memorial Park into a new sports facility, with a feasibility study to be finished within the year and the public to be consulted, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday said in his weekly blog.

“When promoting the development of sports, having the complete hardware is indispensable,” he said.

During last month’s unveiling of the annual budget, the minister said the government would consider converting some underutilised floors at Jordan’s Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building into a venue for activities such as sports climbing and skateboarding.

Chan on Sunday also said 3x3 basketball, five-a-side football, freestyle BMX, skateboarding and sports climbing had been officially included as competitive categories for the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games.

“Emerging sports create a new dimension of physical exercise, self-challenge and individuality. They also allow residents to have a closer connection with their neighbours and communities and repair the ‘alienation’ between people with busy lives,” he said.

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“We also plan to optimise the existing venue facilities and provide bouldering walls and skateboarding facilities to promote related urban sports projects.”

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