It has been a long year in the Hong Kong sporting calendar but finally there are signs of life. This weekend sees the return of organised amateur football, at the end of a week where the city’s hardtop football and basketball pitches were reopened along with government-run artificial turf pitches. We also saw event organisers beginning to get back to some sense of normalcy, whatever that might look like, in the weeks and months to come. First up is the Chinese Recreation Club’s Elite Invitational, where a number of Hong Kong’s top players will battle it out at the safe social distance of the length of a tennis court. Hong Kong Spartan Race return gives hope for city’s sporting events This will take place in Causeway Bay in July and, although organisers confirmed that the decision to allow tennis fans in will be taken at a later date in line with government guidelines, it is a positive step and a reason for hope. At the very least it means Hong Kong’s players can play competitive tennis again. On top of that, in a boon for those who have been kept from competing on the trails in a calendar pockmarked first by protest and then pandemic, is the return of the Spartan series in September with a number of outdoor trail and obstacle races. So what does the future hold? Tai Po and Yuen Long pull out of Hong Kong Premier League 2020-21 season There are two things that we know so far. These confirmed events, which we need to be at pains to reiterate are subject to another change in circumstances, are controlled. They are either outdoors or behind closed doors, which is important. There has also been a nod to removing unnecessary risk, for example Spartan have mitigated one by removing water-based obstacles. Perhaps there will have to be some manner of testing or passport to remove legal responsibility of any outbreak – the honour system offers no guarantees. The bigger questions are who will be next to stick their head out from behind the door of lockdown to discuss their plans and, more importantly, what will they do to mitigate the risks? Fittingly, for a game played and often watched by people who you might mistake for a pachyderm, the elephant in the room is the Hong Kong Sevens. Understandably, it has been all quiet on the Sevens front for the past few months since the reality dawned that it would not go ahead as planned. The announcement included the news that they were moving from April to October when normal service would be resumed. That, at least right now, is unlikely but there is reason to be hopeful. Of all the Sevens tournaments in the World Series, Hong Kong is the one with the prestige and remains enough of a draw for the teams to warrant two weeks in quarantine beforehand. Presumably, there are enough visitors who travel every year to watch who would feel the same and if they have the time and money, and the government has the tests, then why not let them? A behind-closed-doors Sevens is not an option but a reduced capacity could be a possibility. It might make for a very different South Stand, though, with social distancing in place. If for safety reasons it is decided overseas fans – who made up around half of ticket sales last year – are not allowed then at least it will be a good year for those in Hong Kong who complain annually that they cannot get a ticket. Hong Kong’s place on the global sporting calendar is not large but it is a mainstay. It’s been notable that of the schedules so far released for tennis and Formula E, the city has been left off both. Others will likely follow, or at least wait it out a while longer. Locally organised, locally focused events appear to be the future for now. For example, the Hong Kong Marathon could be done with a focus on resident runners. Travel restrictions will have an effect on who comes but presuming that local transmissions are low, if not zero, and testing on arrival is in place, there must come a time when event organisers can start talking about this. There are lessons – good and bad – to be taken from other sporting events that have resumed worldwide. Ultimately, the government will decide but it would be nice to believe that sport will resume in Hong Kong and events organisers can fuel this hope by announcing their intentions. We don’t know what the future holds but it is in the nature of sports fans to be optimistic. This has the feel of the first day of the season, when hopes and dreams fill the air on the way to the ground. This could be our year, you all think. Well, maybe this could be ours.