Hong Kong has been given more time to 'secure the support of the people' as it prepares a formal bid to stage the 2023 Asian Games.
'The deadline for the submission of documents will be January 2011 and it should give us more time to prepare the necessary documents,' Sports Federation and Olympic Committee president Timothy Fok Tsun-ting said.
'We need time to secure support from all people of Hong Kong for staging such a big event, as the Asian Games is not only for the sports community but all Hong Kong people.'
The Olympic Committee of Asia had not set an official deadline for the formal bid submission after the SF&OC issued a letter of intent in July. But it is believed the SF&OC had been using October as a working deadline, according to a person close to the organisation.
'It has been given more time for preparation of the documents, but the schedule is still very tight,' the person said. 'The government has to make decisions in a short span of time on the number of sports to be contested at the 2023 Games and the facilities required, whether it can use existing venues or new ones need to be built, the athletes' village, transport, security and so on.'
A consultation to gauge public opinion is expected to be completed early next month.
