Star names in golf and tennis could be on the way to Hong Kong after Mega Events Fund cash boost
Could likes of Rory McIlroy and Maria Sharapova be on their way after government funding of HK$27.5 million for tournaments and the city's dragon boat carnival?
The world's top sporting stars will be targeted after the Mega Events Fund (MEF) on Friday approved a total of HK$27.5 million to support three events - the Hong Kong Opens in golf and tennis and the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival.
The government announced the MEF assessment committee had earmarked HK$15 million for golf, HK$7 million for tennis and HK$5.5 million for dragon boating. The mega bonanza could possibly see the likes of Rory McIlroy and Maria Sharapova light up the Hong Kong fairways and centre court in October.
This is absolutely great news. We can now look at getting some of the top players in the world
"This is absolutely great news," said Hong Kong Golf Association chief executive Tom Phillips. "We can now look at getting some of the top players in the world. Obviously, we will need to sit down with all the stakeholders and see how to spend this money to maximise impact."
The Hong Kong Open, which will be held for the 57th consecutive year at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling from October 22-25, is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. It was last supported by the MEF in 2012 and has struggled to find a commercial title sponsor in the past two years.
"We are very grateful to the government. This is a huge boost and will help us stage another successful tournament," said Phillips.
All money given by the MEF can only be spent on promoting and marketing and not on prize money. In 2012, it is believed the Hong Kong Open spent most of the HK$15 million it received in MEF backing on signing up McIlroy. The now world number one missed the cut that year.