City close to taking HK$95m plunge for world swimming championships

Top swimming official Ronnie Wong Man-chiu is confident of organising a HK$95 million budget by next Monday to enter a bid for the 2016 or 2018 world short-course championships.

Wong said the Hong Kong Swimming Association was talking to a number of potential title sponsors to pitch in a maximum of HK$30 million.

"We are talking about a very large amount of money but it is not impossible," said Wong, the association's honorary secretary, yesterday. "If everything goes according to plan, we can announce some good news later this week." If the bid is successful, the championships would be held at the Hong Kong Coliseum, with a special water tank brought in from Italy at a cost of more than HK$10 million. Short-course swimming features a 25-metre long pool instead of the 50-metre pools used in the Olympics and world championships.

"The world championships has a big marketing value as the biennial event will feature the best swimmers from around the world," said Wong. "If we win the bid, there will be plenty of time for promotion and sponsorships. It will provide good value for money."

Wong said although the title sponsor would only be required to contribute a third of the budget, there would be other income to guarantee the event would at least break even.

"Half of the expenditure can be offset by ticket sales, ground advertisements, broadcasting rights and other support such as air fares, board and accommodation," said Wong. "We are also looking for government support with funding from the Mega Events Fund.