Manila has 2 Olympic-size skating rinks while Hong Kong has none: City lags behind other Southeast Asian countries
Local officials and athletes say it’s high time that the city has a full size rink and they want it built at Kai Tak Sports Park
Hong Kong sports officials and athletes have urged authorities to build an Olympic-size skating rink at the proposed Kai Tak Sports Park or risk falling further behind other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and even the Philippines.
Top ice skating officials said it had been 14 years since Japan’s two-time reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu visited Hong Kong as a young novice and that Hong Kong was no closer to realising their dream to having a new ice skating rink that can host world-class tournaments.
Hong Kong Skating Union executive Edith Lau Shan said 14 years ago only China Japan and South Korea had proper venues but other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have caught up and already built proper rinks. Manila alone has two Olympic-size rinks.
“Fourteen years ago, only China, Japan and South Korea had standard venues and after all these years, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have built their own venues,” said Lau. “And these Southeast Asian nations have since been making good progress in the sport with their skating athletes good enough to represent their country at the Winter Olympic Games.