Typhoon Mangkhut: Hong Kong sport counts the cost of damage to facilities as repairs begin
Hong Kong Premier League and grassroots football venues among hardest hit but HKSI continues training as usual
After the weekend’s weather, Hong Kong sport has begun to count the cost of the damage caused by Typhoon Mangkhut.
The Jockey Club will have to wait until December 29 to recover the hundreds of millions in revenue from Sunday’s cancelled meeting, but it suffered major damage at the HKJC Kitchee Training Centre in Shek Mun.
Images circulating on Sunday showed the Hong Kong Premier League champions’ training pitch under water.
Water from the neighbouring Shing Mun River flooded the whole venue. The highest water mark on the centre’s walls showed it reached 1.5 metres at its highest point.
The extent of the damage is yet to be confirmed but the damage to the artificial turf is extensive and includes the base layers it is laid on.
There is no word on how long it will take for the venue to be fit to use or the cost of repairs.
Kitchee head coach Chi Chi-kwong said the club had taken precautions but did not anticipate the flood would be so severe.
The club booked other venues for training in advance and it was “lucky that they did so”.
Training will now take place at Kowloon Bay Park and Chi is confident it will not affect the champions as they prepare for the season to return after the international break.
Chi is also hopeful it will not affect their preparation for their vital league match against Eastern on September 25, but the club want to get back to their home as soon as possible.
Aberdeen Sports Ground, the home of Southern, has suffered damage to the main stand, according to images being shared on social media, while local sports pitches at King’s Park and King George V School have also been affected.
The Hong Kong Sports Institute suffered no major damage aside from fallen trees and leaks.
