Hong Kong must learn from Doha if it wants to be global centre for sports, Olympic chief Timothy Fok says
- The Qatari capital beat Hong Kong to win the hosting rights for the 2006 Asian Games and will stage the continental showpiece again in 2030
- Hong Kong can join forces with Bay Area cities to target the China National Games after the opening of the HK$30 billion Sports Park in 2023, says Timothy Fok
Hong Kong must learn from Doha in how the Qatari capital has built itself up from a sporting backwater to become a global centre for major events.
Doha was this week chosen to host the 2030 Asian Games – the second time it will stage the continental showpiece, having hosted them in 2006 after beating Hong Kong during the bidding process.
“When Doha beat Hong Kong for the 2006 Asian Games hosting rights, many people kept asking me where the city was,” said Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the Hong Kong Olympic Committee, after its annual general meeting on Thursday. “Some sports people even said they were a just small country and would not be serious about sports.
“Now if you look at the city again, they will be staging their second Asian Games in 2030 and in two years’ time, they will also be the hosts of football World Cup finals. I am sure they would be targeting the Olympic Games as well. Doha has also developed as a renowned sports medicine hub with the one of the best rehabilitation centres in the world.
“From a nowhere city in terms of sport, to become a major host of international events, they have put in a lot of effort, which we can learn from.”
