Tickets in short supply for China’s Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Hong Kong
- Only around 600 tickets per match will be made available to the public at 1,908-seat Tsuen Wan Sports Centre
- Organisers still awaiting government backing over estimated HK$5 million cost of staging games against Kazakhstan and Iran
The organisers of the China men’s national basketball team FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Hong Kong revealed only some 600 tickets will be available to the public for each match.
China’s final two qualifiers – against Kazakhstan on February 23 and Iran three days later – will be played at the 1,908-seat Tsuen Wan Sports Centre.
But FIBA rules and regulations mean the stadium, which was opened in October 2018, can only host around 1,100 spectators per match.
“We tried to make as many seats available as possible but safety for everyone remained our top priority,” Mable Ching Man-wai – who is part of the organising crew – said. “The 2-metre buffer zones [from the baselines and sidelines] are non-negotiable per FIBA rules.
“Plus the scorer’s table, the teams’ benches and the courtside rolling advertisement banners … this is the best we can do. We did not cordon off those 800 seats for ourselves.”
Tickets are priced at HK$380 and HK$180 with student and senior tickets also available at HK$60. The sale – limited to four tickets per transaction – will be available from 9am next Wednesday.