Should the Wan Chai Sports Ground stay or go? Athletics officials to conduct a study

The Amateur Athletic Association will conduct a thorough study on the provision of track and field facilities in Hong Kong before deciding whether to keep the Wan Chai Sports Ground or do away with it.

“We will submit the report to the government and if we find out there are sufficient facilities for the development of the sport at elite, club and school levels in Hong Kong, we wouldn’t mind the government replacing the Wan Chai Sports Ground with another facility,” said Simon Yeung Sai-mo, senior vice chairman of the association. “But if we find out there is still a great demand of track and field facilities in Hong Kong and the need of our sport is far from being taken care of, we will object to the government’s proposal to demolish the facility.”

In January, chief executive Leung Chun-ying proposed in his last Policy Address that the Wan Chai Sports Ground be used for comprehensive redevelopment in 2019 at the earliest.

The track and field community was up and arms over the proposal because the Wan Chai ground, opened 38 years ago, remains the most popular training and competition venue in Hong Kong. If the facility is demolished, it would present a big blow to the development of the sport.

Sprinter Tsui Chi-ho, who set the Hong Kong men’s 100 metres record of 10.28 seconds at the Wan Chai ground six years ago, still preferred the facility.