The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Omicron: Hong Kong sport facing 2-week shutdown as government tightens Covid-19 controls in face of fifth wave threat

Governing bodies left scrambling to rearrange matches with preparations for overseas competitions also hit

Athletics association scraps planned trial event on Sunday ahead of selecting team for Asian Indoor Championships next month

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Hong Kong Football Association will have to rearrange five matches that had been scheduled to ne played over the next nine days. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 6:57pm, 5 Jan 2022Updated: 10:02pm, 5 Jan 2022

The Hong Kong government’s decision to reimpose some of its toughest Covid-19 controls, as the city braces for a fifth wave of infections, has left sport associations scrambling to rearrange fixtures and save seasons.

Top-flight football, rugby and cricket have all been affected, while the city’s athletics association’s plan to send athletes to next month’s 10th Asian Indoor Championships has been thrown into disarray after the government announced on Wednesday that all sports venues must shut for two weeks.

While the raft of closures, which has also hit gyms and swimming pools, do not come into force until Friday, several governing bodies took immediate action to halt training sessions, or hold games behind closed doors.

The semi-finals and final for the grand championship of the Dettol Women’s Premiership have had to be postponed because of the shutdown. Photo: HKRU

Officials also ordered the Jockey Club to shut the public out of Wednesday night’s Happy Valley race meeting, the first time that has happened since March.

“Due to the latest Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has just been instructed by the HKSAR Government that we have to substantially reduce the number of attendance to the race meeting tonight [January 5, 2022],” the Jockey Club said in a statement.

Several of the city’s representative teams were in the midst of preparing for international competitions in February, and the Association of Athletics Affiliates had planned a preseason trial at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on Sunday ahead of selecting its squad for the indoor championships in Kazakhstan, which take place from February 11 to 13.

“Some of the events would have used the trial as selection for the indoor meet and the deadline for registration is two days later on Tuesday,” Simon Yeung Sai-mo, the selection committee’s chairman, said. “It is impossible to have another event for selection because of the time restriction, and we will have to find another method.”