Hong Kong athletics says proposal for mega sports park in Ma On Shan is ‘a major boost’ for the city’s athletes
- Hong Kong has excelled in indoor athletic events even without proper venue for training and development
- The new facility will form part of 14.7 hectare Whitehead Sports Park in Ma On Shan, complete with cricket ground, baseball diamond
Hong Kong athletics officials have welcomed a plan to build the city’s first ever indoor track and field stadium in Ma On Shan, a move they said would help athletes continue to succeed at a regional level.
The indoor facility is part of the proposed Whitehead Sports Park, first touted in 2017 under the government’s HK$20 billion five-year plan to improve sports and recreation facilities in Hong Kong.
According to a Sha Tin District Council paper submitted by the government in October last year, the 14.7 hectare Park (the size of 14 standard football pitches) will also feature a number of facilities such as an international standard cricket ground, a baseball diamond, an ice-skating rink, an extreme sports venue, a golf driving range and an outdoor velodrome.
An indoor athletics venue also is something the sport has been pushing to build for many years. Association of Athletics Affiliates chairman Kwan Kee said an indoor venue would be a major boost to the sport, allowing athletes to train uninterrupted throughout the year.
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“Some of our field events such as long jump and high jump or hurdles cannot train under adverse weather conditions, and an indoor venue can resolve the problem,” Kwan said.
“Many of our athletes have already brought good results in indoor events without a proper venue and they should benefit with the new facility and further improve their standard in future.”
Vera Lui Lai-yiu is one such athlete. The 27-year-old hurdler won a gold medal in the women’s 60 metre hurdles at the 2017 Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat where Hong Kong also captured three bronze medals in the men’s 60 metre hurdles, men’s long jump and women’s high jump.
Lui will take part in the same event at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia which run from March 18 to 20 after being granted a wild card by the world governing body. She will then stay in Germany for a training camp as her build-up for September’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
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The athletics official said they had proposed the government to build an indoor venue at the existing Causeway Bay Sports Ground, but were rejected because of transport concerns.
Kwan also hoped the government would consult them on the technical aspects when building the facility as an indoor track and field venue has its own specifications. They also want the new facility to be built solely for their own use for national squad training, just like the velodrome in Tseung Kwan O for track cycling.
“At the moment we only have the Wan Chai Sports Ground solely for our national squad training and if we can have an indoor venue which can be used for all seasons, it will definitely be a major boost to our sport,” he said.
According to the Home Affairs Bureau website, Whitehead Sports Park is one of 15 projects being considered, but has no specific time table for construction.
