07-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's new stadium doesn't need mega-events, just great sports fixtures
I have been a regular at the
Hong Kong Sevens ever since the inaugural event in 1976. Last month's tournament at Kai Tak Sports Park was my fourth different venue.
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I still remember that afternoon almost a half-century ago, walking down from my Happy Valley flat to the old Hong Kong Football Club stadium on Sports Road at the suggestion of a neighbour to watch the matches being played. I was immediately hooked and have attended every year since, pandemics permitting.
Not surprisingly as it grew in popularity, the tournament outgrew the Football Club ground and moved to the old Government Stadium in So Kon Po. Even that proved insufficient after a few years and a new one had to be built in situ. Dragages designed and built a fine 40,000-seater. That did us proud for many years, but the world moved on and, eventually, so did we.
The first thing to strike me about the
new facility is the sheer beauty of the structure in engineering terms. Walking in for the first time on the opening Friday night I gasped out loud – it is breathtaking. It makes a bold statement: Welcome to Hong Kong, a world-class city equipped with a world-class venue to stage world-class events.
During the long weekend, I tried out different locations to check the experience from a spectator's perspective. Every angle I tested had an excellent, unobstructed view of the action on the pitch.
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