‘We want it back,’ says Carrie Lam, but will the Volvo Ocean Race fleet drop anchor in Hong Kong again next time around?

The Hong Kong government made clear that they would like for the fleet to return to the city during the next edition, but no decision has been made by race organisers yet

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The Volvo Village and the mooring in Hong Kong on the latest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race has been hailed as a success by everyone involved, but will the fleet be back? Photo: EPA

Published: 4:15pm, 1 Feb 2018Updated: 6:32pm, 3 Feb 2018

The Volvo Ocean Race has “exceeded expectations” in its stopover in Hong Kong, with the sound of “we want it back” coming from the most important mouthpiece – the government.

As the Volvo Race Village was being dismantled at the Kai Tak Runway Park on Thursday, race organisers breathed a sigh of relief that Hong Kong responded to the event, with more than 100,000 people attending over the 15 days.

Despite the tragic start when a fisherman died in a collision with one of the boats, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her team gave the event the thumbs up, saying “We want it back”.

The Hong Kong stopover included an in-port race. Photo: Handout

Event organisers Mayo & Calder said they were “open to discussions for future editions” of the round-the-world race returning to Hong Kong.

That could be in two years or four years, avoiding a clash with the America’s Cup which will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2021.

“In hosting the Hong Kong stopover, we had two objectives in mind,” said Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee.