China's number two men's hurdler Shi Dongpeng wondered why the brand new Tseung Kwan O Stadium was half-dressed - with stands for spectators only on one side of the track.
'This is a very nice venue, but I wonder why they didn't build more spectator stands,' Shi said after finishing second in the 110 metres hurdles final at the 2009 Asian Grand Prix series yesterday.
Organisers, who were using the event as a dry run for the East Asian Games, would undoubtedly agree with Shi if his compatriot, the great Liu Xiang, were to turn up in December. Liu is still recovering from the injury which saw him pull out from the Beijing Olympics final last year. But he is on target to compete at the China National Games in October and hopes are high that he could also make an appearance in Hong Kong.
If that were to happen, Kwan Kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association agreed the 3,500-seater stadium might not be enough.
'We have the capacity to add temporary stands for another 1,500 people. But if Liu was to turn up, I don't think even that would be enough,' Kwan said.
'He is a huge draw and there will be much interest surrounding him. But other than him, I think this stadium is just perfect for the East Asian Games.' Athletes and visiting officials gave the thumbs up for the HK$400 million stadium - the only one in Hong Kong that comes along with a secondary warm-up track (even though it is only 300 metres and has just four lanes) - and praised the facilities.