Hong Kong windsurfers to finally have their own permanent facility at Shek O in major boost to sport
- The centre will be part of a public water sports complex to be completed in five years’ time as outlined in Carrie Lam’s policy address
- Operators will need to invest HK$800 million in building costs but the government will not charge rent
A permanent windsurfing elite training centre has been given the green light to be built in Shek O, providing a major boost to the sport three decades after Hong Kong celebrated one of its greatest Olympic moments.
Chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor outlined plans for the estimated HK$800 million centre in Wednesday’s policy address. The approval comes 25 years after Hong Kong won its first medal of any kind at the Olympics when windsurfer Lee Lai-shan took gold in a blaze of glory at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Ever since Lee’s defining moment, the local windsurfing body has been looking for a permanent windsurfing centre to help develop the sport and train its elite athletes. The venue is expected to open in five years’ time at the rehabilitated Shek O Quarry site.
According to Lam, the government is inviting a non-government partner to design, construct and operate a water sports complex for the general public at the site through open tender. The windsurfing training centre will be designated for the exclusive use of the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
It is expected that the tender will be awarded in the first quarter of next year, with the target of bringing the water sports complex into full operation in about five years’ time.
