Latest news with #LeisureAndCulturalServicesDepartment
South China Morning Post
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong dancer Mo Li sues 12 parties for damages over Mirror concert accident
A Hong Kong dancer left paralysed after being hit by a falling giant screen at a concert by popular Cantopop boy band Mirror in 2022 is suing a government department and 11 other parties involved in the show's production for an undisclosed amount of compensation. The defendants have been accused of negligence and breaching their duty of care. Among those named in the claims are the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, a contractor it hired, and a Guangdong-based stage production house, according to writs filed to the High Court this month. Injured dancer Mo Li Kai-yin, 30, was left paralysed from the neck down in the accident at the Hong Kong Coliseum, operated by the department, and is currently receiving treatment overseas. Li, represented by his lawyers, filed three writs, claiming damages 'for the catastrophic personal injuries, loss and damage' he sustained on July 28, 2022 while working as a dancer at the Mirror concert. During the show, a 500kg LED screen measuring four metres by four metres and suspended from the ceiling suddenly fell and hit Li.
South China Morning Post
26-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong makes U-turn over rule blocking its teams from entering National Games
A Hong Kong government department has backed down on its decision to deny several of the city's sports teams the chance to compete at the National Games, and has lowered the bar to allow more to do so. Several of the city's national sports associations (NSAs) had voiced concerns about the announcement of selection criteria that excluded their teams from the Games, which Hong Kong will co-host with Guangdong and Macau in November. The city's organising committee, under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, was behind the ruling that only sports whose teams finished in the top eight at last year's Paris Olympics or the Asian Games in 2023 could enter multiple sides in National Games team events. Asked to comment by the Post, the committee on Thursday acknowledged the NSAs' concerns, with a spokeswoman saying it would 'study the optimisation of the criteria'. Hong Kong's men's senior basketball team (in white) may be reprieved by the U-turn. Photo: Elson Li On Friday came a fresh twist, as it emerged that this optimisation was set to allow Hong Kong to send more teams, with the committee reportedly now requiring teams merely to have competed at the last Olympics or Asian Games. Multiple sources confirmed to the Post the relaxing of the rules, which reportedly was communicated to the NSAs in a verbal message.
South China Morning Post
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong repositions venues in a bid to boost development of performing arts
Sha Tin Town Hall will be reserved for Cantonese Opera while the Hong Kong Coliseum will be positioned as a concert venue, the government said on Thursday. The reform of the hiring policy of the city's performance venues is part of a wider effort to promote the mega-event development of the performing arts in Hong Kong, following the official opening of Kai Tak Stadium in March. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said the latest move could provide more performance slots for use by different art groups and establish clearer venue identities. Under the reform, the 1,372-seat auditorium in Sha Tin Town Hall will be reserved for Cantonese opera, the first world-class intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong. Professional troupes fulfilling certain criteria could make special bookings throughout the year for Cantonese opera or opera-excerpt performances to promote high-quality productions and the inheritance of the cultural heritage, the department added. The Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom will prioritise concerts in an attempt to develop a live music economy. Photo: Edmond So '[The new policy] could ensure reasonable opportunities for proficient troupes to hire performance venues while supporting the professional and industry development of Cantonese opera.'
South China Morning Post
18-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong authorities to get tough on repeated misuse of public sports venues
Hong Kong authorities will ramp up penalties for those who repeatedly misuse public sports and recreation facilities, an official has said, noting authorities had handed out punishments for 13,000 such cases since the launch of a booking app in 2023. Raistlin Lau Chun, the acting culture, sports and tourism minister, said on Wednesday that the government would impose stricter punishment on venue hirers who repeatedly breached the rules, adding that authorities were still deciding on the appropriate penalties. 'The [Leisure and Cultural Services Department] has always paid close attention to unauthorised transfer or touting activities in relation to sports and recreation facilities, and has adopted a multipronged approach to combat touting activities, including enhancing the booking system on an ongoing basis, imposing penalty arrangements, and stepping up inspections,' Lau told the Legislative Council. He noted that the department conducted more than 890,000 random inspections between the introduction of SmartPLAY in November 2023 and May this year, resulting in more than 13,000 venue hirers being penalised for breaching hiring rules twice within 60 days. Those penalised were barred from booking any of the department's fee-charging sports and recreation facilities for 90 days, he added. Lau said the department also received 435 complaints related to venue-touting activities over the same period, 50 of which resulted in people being penalised. The acting minister said the department had conducted a joint operation with law enforcement agencies in July 2024 to combat touting and other illegal activities at tennis courts in Wan Chai.
