Fake grass for Hong Kong Stadium is a bad idea, expert says

Grass in the Hong Kong Stadium should not be replaced with artificial turf, a local turf expert has said amid complaints of the poor quality of grass plaguing the city's top sporting venue.

"Players will get more seriously hurt on synthetic grass. It's also environmentally unfriendly," said Dr Eric Lee Yin-tse, turf expert and honorary senior research fellow at the Chinese University's School of Life Sciences.

Lee, who has designed sports pitches and racecourses for Hong Kong and Singapore, said studies showed that the temperature of plastic grass was at least 10 degrees Celsius higher than the air temperature.

The artificial turf, which usually lasts for about five years, required prolonged irrigation to cool it, and the rubber layer of the synthetic grass also contained heavy metals, he said.

Lee's comments came as internet users called for the pitch in Hong Kong Stadium to be replaced with artificial turf after the poor-quality appearance of the stadium's natural grass was broadcast internationally during Saturday's soccer match.

The online call coincided with the government's plan to replace natural grass on the city's pitches with synthetic grass. It would help cut maintenance costs and accommodate the growing demand for training grounds, the government said.