Latest news with #XIX
Cision Canada
12-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Jockey Club announces plans to become a global sports entertainment brand and to showcase Hong Kong as a centre for global exchange, connectivity and tourism
HONG KONG, May 12, 2025 /CNW/ -- Today (12 May), The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) announced the launch of a major initiative to transform itself into a global sports entertainment brand with the ultimate aim of creating even more value for the community. In support, the Club has entered into a strategic partnership with XIX Entertainment (XIX), one of the world's top entertainment brands. Over the past 20 years, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has become a world-class racing brand. Its Group 1 races and superstar horses feature strongly in the world rankings, with two of the world's best horses currently based in Hong Kong. Some of the world's best jockeys and trainers are in Hong Kong. The Club's racing is broadcast to millions of fans across five continents, with 25% of its income now derived from overseas. The Club's racecourse facilities are second to none. And through its Happy Wednesday brand, which showcases sports with entertainment, and major raceday events featuring international and Hong Kong stars, combining lifestyle and entertainment, the Club has developed a highly attractive racecourse entertainment experience. All of this has enabled the Club to significantly increase its support for the community. In 2023/24 alone, the Club contributed a record HK$40.1 billion in tax and approved charity donations. It has also made racing a highly attractive visitor experience, with over 143,000 tourists visiting the racecourses so far this season. This encouraging tourist attendance owes a great deal to the support for racing tourism in the recent Hong Kong CE Policy Address, and to the efforts of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and the Hong Kong Tourism Board in promoting Hong Kong horse racing globally. The Club is also grateful for the new strategic collaboration with the China Tourism Group in promoting the Club's world-class racing sport in the Mainland. Now the Club's vision is to go one step further - to become a global sports entertainment brand. In other words to create a holistically integrated racing, equestrian sports and entertainment experience, which will enable the Club to expand its fan base, especially to the younger generation, and to reach out to a global and Mainland audience. Ultimately the aim is to become the premier destination for global horse racing and equestrian sports. This, the Club believes, perfectly matches Hong Kong's aspiration to become a hub for international exchanges and cooperation, as well as a centre for international cultural exchange as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan. It will also enable the Club to contribute even more to the betterment of society. As a first step, the Club is delighted to partner with XIX under the leadership of its visionary founder, Simon Fuller. The first collaboration will bring XIX's global pop group, Now United, to Hong Kong. The first initiative, Now United, will give Hong Kong's talent a chance to shine on the world stage, while through social media and racecourse performances the group will share positive stories about Hong Kong and Hong Kong racing with their millions of fans around the world. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of The Hong Kong Jockey Club said he was excited to announce the Club's plans to become a globally recognised sports entertainment brand, which will enable the Club to contribute even more to Hong Kong. Holistically integrating entertainment, racing and equestrian sport, at its heart will be a celebration of the strong bonding between horses and humans. This, he said, perfectly matches Hong Kong's aspiration to expand its global connectivity. Finally, looking ahead to the Year of the Horse in 2026, it is the perfect moment to use entertainment, lifestyle and social content to foster new connections and promote passion around the horse - heritage, power, elegance and emotion brought to life. Simon Fuller, the British-born Founder of XIX, said "I am excited to be collaborating with Hong Kong and the Jockey Club to create something aspirational and positive. I believe there is an important opportunity to bring inspiring and joyful entertainment to Hong Kong and Horse Racing. This is an incredible city full of potential with so many stunning iconic locations to share with the world." He added, "my global pop group Now United being here in Hong Kong is the beginning of many more exciting announcements in the coming months, leading to celebrating the year of the horse." Now United is XIX's multi-cultural global pop group, featuring young musical and dance talent from across the world. The collaboration with the Club will see a talent search in Hong Kong for the next member of the group. The finalist will receive masterclass training from top-class professionals at XIX Entertainment's Academy of Pop. There will also be a reality series and music videos filmed with Now United during their stay in Hong Kong, to be shared with their 40 million social media followers across multiple platforms around the world. Hong Kong audiences will also have the opportunity to enjoy Now United's live performances at the Club's racecourses and at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races in December 2025. The search for the next member of Now United in Hong Kong will begin with auditions for people aged 18 or above starting from today (12 May). For application details, please visit Photos can be downloaded from the website of The Hong Kong Jockey Club ( The Hong Kong Jockey Club Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2023/24, the Club returned a total of HK$40.1 billion to the community. This included HK$29.9 billion to the HKSAR Government in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$10.2 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong's largest single taxpayer and one of the city's major employers. Its Charities Trust is one of the world's leading charity donors. Please visit Simon Fuller and XIX Entertainment Simon Fuller, producer, creator and entrepreneur, is the founder of XIX Entertainment. He has imagined and executed a number of game-changing entertainment properties, engaging audiences across the world and generating billion revenues in the process. His ideas and businesses have disrupted convention, defined the times and empowered artists to achieve their ambitions. He was the inspiration behind the Spice Girls, the creator of the American Idol global TV franchise, the partner of David and Victoria Beckham and the guidance behind sporting legends Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton, extraordinary singers Annie Lennox and Amy Winehouse and other award-winning projects with entertainment icons Jennifer Lopez and Michael Caine. Today, his company XIX Entertainment is an ever-evolving force of creativity and innovation in music, tech, film, and fashion. SOURCE The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jockey Club announces plans to become a global sports entertainment brand and to showcase Hong Kong as a centre for global exchange, connectivity and tourism
HONG KONG, May 12, 2025 /CNW/ -- Today (12 May), The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) announced the launch of a major initiative to transform itself into a global sports entertainment brand with the ultimate aim of creating even more value for the community. In support, the Club has entered into a strategic partnership with XIX Entertainment (XIX), one of the world's top entertainment brands. Over the past 20 years, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has become a world-class racing brand. Its Group 1 races and superstar horses feature strongly in the world rankings, with two of the world's best horses currently based in Hong Kong. Some of the world's best jockeys and trainers are in Hong Kong. The Club's racing is broadcast to millions of fans across five continents, with 25% of its income now derived from overseas. The Club's racecourse facilities are second to none. And through its Happy Wednesday brand, which showcases sports with entertainment, and major raceday events featuring international and Hong Kong stars, combining lifestyle and entertainment, the Club has developed a highly attractive racecourse entertainment experience. All of this has enabled the Club to significantly increase its support for the community. In 2023/24 alone, the Club contributed a record HK$40.1 billion in tax and approved charity donations. It has also made racing a highly attractive visitor experience, with over 143,000 tourists visiting the racecourses so far this season. This encouraging tourist attendance owes a great deal to the support for racing tourism in the recent Hong Kong CE Policy Address, and to the efforts of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and the Hong Kong Tourism Board in promoting Hong Kong horse racing globally. The Club is also grateful for the new strategic collaboration with the China Tourism Group in promoting the Club's world-class racing sport in the Mainland. Now the Club's vision is to go one step further - to become a global sports entertainment brand. In other words to create a holistically integrated racing, equestrian sports and entertainment experience, which will enable the Club to expand its fan base, especially to the younger generation, and to reach out to a global and Mainland audience. Ultimately the aim is to become the premier destination for global horse racing and equestrian sports. This, the Club believes, perfectly matches Hong Kong's aspiration to become a hub for international exchanges and cooperation, as well as a centre for international cultural exchange as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan. It will also enable the Club to contribute even more to the betterment of society. As a first step, the Club is delighted to partner with XIX under the leadership of its visionary founder, Simon Fuller. The first collaboration will bring XIX's global pop group, Now United, to Hong Kong. The first initiative, Now United, will give Hong Kong's talent a chance to shine on the world stage, while through social media and racecourse performances the group will share positive stories about Hong Kong and Hong Kong racing with their millions of fans around the world. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of The Hong Kong Jockey Club said he was excited to announce the Club's plans to become a globally recognised sports entertainment brand, which will enable the Club to contribute even more to Hong Kong. Holistically integrating entertainment, racing and equestrian sport, at its heart will be a celebration of the strong bonding between horses and humans. This, he said, perfectly matches Hong Kong's aspiration to expand its global connectivity. Finally, looking ahead to the Year of the Horse in 2026, it is the perfect moment to use entertainment, lifestyle and social content to foster new connections and promote passion around the horse - heritage, power, elegance and emotion brought to life. Simon Fuller, the British-born Founder of XIX, said "I am excited to be collaborating with Hong Kong and the Jockey Club to create something aspirational and positive. I believe there is an important opportunity to bring inspiring and joyful entertainment to Hong Kong and Horse Racing. This is an incredible city full of potential with so many stunning iconic locations to share with the world." He added, "my global pop group Now United being here in Hong Kong is the beginning of many more exciting announcements in the coming months, leading to celebrating the year of the horse." Now United is XIX's multi-cultural global pop group, featuring young musical and dance talent from across the world. The collaboration with the Club will see a talent search in Hong Kong for the next member of the group. The finalist will receive masterclass training from top-class professionals at XIX Entertainment's Academy of Pop. There will also be a reality series and music videos filmed with Now United during their stay in Hong Kong, to be shared with their 40 million social media followers across multiple platforms around the world. Hong Kong audiences will also have the opportunity to enjoy Now United's live performances at the Club's racecourses and at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races in December 2025. The search for the next member of Now United in Hong Kong will begin with auditions for people aged 18 or above starting from today (12 May). For application details, please visit Photos can be downloaded from the website of The Hong Kong Jockey Club ( The Hong Kong Jockey Club Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2023/24, the Club returned a total of HK$40.1 billion to the community. This included HK$29.9 billion to the HKSAR Government in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$10.2 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong's largest single taxpayer and one of the city's major employers. Its Charities Trust is one of the world's leading charity donors. Please visit Simon Fuller and XIX Entertainment Simon Fuller, producer, creator and entrepreneur, is the founder of XIX Entertainment. He has imagined and executed a number of game-changing entertainment properties, engaging audiences across the world and generating billion revenues in the process. His ideas and businesses have disrupted convention, defined the times and empowered artists to achieve their ambitions. He was the inspiration behind the Spice Girls, the creator of the American Idol global TV franchise, the partner of David and Victoria Beckham and the guidance behind sporting legends Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton, extraordinary singers Annie Lennox and Amy Winehouse and other award-winning projects with entertainment icons Jennifer Lopez and Michael Caine. Today, his company XIX Entertainment is an ever-evolving force of creativity and innovation in music, tech, film, and fashion. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Hong Kong Jockey Club View original content to download multimedia:
Euronews
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Gastro-diplomacy: Ukraine's soft power gambit for stomachs, hearts, and minds
'They burned our fields to cut the food supply'. Ukrainian chefs tell Euronews Culture about the role of food in the culture war. The wind chill factor takes the late February air temperature down to minus 3 celsius. It could be Kyiv but it's actually Stratford, East London. Upon entering XIX, a Ukrainian restaurant only a few minutes walk away from Stratford International Rail Station, I spy a cartoon poster of Stalin adorning a fake front cover of Vogue furtively peeping out at all arriving customers from behind a stack of Ukrainian wine boxes. In order to understand the role Ukrainian cuisine has on the cultural level of the war with Russia, I'm going to need to eat it. And this invariably means borsch. Immortalising beetroot And as I sit in the wide window watching other customers come in and being greeted in Ukrainian by owner Vinchentso Dulepa and his new bride Iryna, I am brought a vibrant burgundy bowl of the national dish, a dish that symbolises the cultural land-grab that has for three years now taken an all too solid form after Russia's full scale 2022 invasion. Warming, peppery flavours abound while black bread sits on the side with raw red onion. I'm gratified to see a huge sprig of flat parsley to combat the latter. There are many different versions of borsch in Ukraine but it's essentially a broth combined with beetroot, sugar beet or fermented beet juice. This version has slow cooked chunks of pork inside. There is a fabulous depth of colour and the sour cream provides another level of taste and texture. It's gorgeous, wholesome and a truly luminous centrepiece for a discussion of Ukrainian identity. Borsh and UNESCO Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and then even more critically after war broke out in February 2022, Ukraine has used its culinary heritage as an assertion of cultural independence. And borsch became the focal point in July 2022 when, after intense lobbying, UNESCO recognised the dish as needing 'urgent safeguarding' as an intangible piece of cultural heritage. "Due to the ongoing war and its negative impact on this tradition, Ukraine asked the Member States of the Committee to fast-track the examination of the nomination file for borsch to be inscribed on the List of Urgent Safeguarding as a case of extreme urgency, in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Convention," UNESCO stated upon its approval on July 1st 2022. This was seen, accurately, as a political act rejecting Russia's historical claims that borsch has a shared genesis or that it is in fact singularly emanating from Russia. Ukrainian chefs have been at the forefront of this effort, promoting Ukrainian cuisine internationally as a form of resistance. Ukrainian food pop-ups, restaurants, and culinary diplomacy events have gained traction worldwide, reinforcing global solidarity with Ukraine. And no-one has been more active in this regard than Yevhen Klopotenko, whose The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen was released to critical acclaim in May 2024. "We began to get to know a country through the food of its people," Klopotenko tells Euronews Culture from Kyiv. "Because food is always a reflection of how and what people live by. What they take pride in and what they want to share with the world. We fall in love through food. We always remember the flavours that accompanied our experience in a new country. Food is the story of people. It is the culture of families. It is part of a national identity. Take tomatoes, for example, they exist in both Italian and American cuisine. But there is a huge difference in how these two nations treat them and tell their stories about them. Because their culture and history are different." Klopotenko, winner of Ukraine's version of Masterchef, was instrumental in the UNESCO lobby but says he didn't set out to start an Eastern European culinary clash. "My mission was to recognise borsch as an aspect of Ukrainian national culture by UNESCO because I was frankly fed up with restaurants around the world calling borsch a Russian soup. But submitting the application attracted global attention to this Ukrainian dish, foodies around the world also learned about borsch, its history and global spread. Thanks to borsch, Ukrainian cuisine received a bit of its limelight. Well-deserved limelight, as Ukraine has much to offer." Gastro-Diplomacy The term gastro-diplomacy first came to prominence around 2002 when Thailand was putting a spike of funding behind cooks promoting their cuisine, culture and stories around the world. It's no surprise Ukrainians are exerting their soft power skills at one of the grimmest points in their history. "Today, the table where Ukrainian food is served is one of the tables where Ukraine's future is being decided," explains Klopotenko. That is why gastro-diplomacy remains one of the key fronts of culinary defence. My mission is to convey the value of Ukraine. Because if foreigners love what we love, their support will be deeper." Back in Stratford a platter of Salo, which is salt-cured subcutaneous pork fat, arrives accompanied by cloves of raw garlic, pickled cucumber and fresh dill. If you have a date, you'll need to share this but raw garlic and dill, what a glorious combination. I feel like I'm eating something from a forage. XIX's exclusively Ukrainian Wine list also excites. A Pinotage from the Beykush winery on the Black Sea has much more red berry than the more well-known South African version and less black pepper. But the real hero wine for this was the Kolonist Cabernet Merlot 'Haut de gamme' 2020 which has woody sweetness on the nose with strong violet and cassis with a touch of graphite. The winery will be represented at Prowein, the world's largest wine and spirits trade fair held in Dusseldorf later in March. A Labour of Hercules? More soft power initiatives continue in 2025 targeting the US market. These may be the hearts and minds most useful to capture right now. And the person undertaking this labour is Ukrainian cook and author Olia Hercules. "There's this amazing foundation in the USA called Razom for Ukraine," she tells Euronews Culture. "And they basically send medical help and surgeons to train Ukrainian medical workers. So they invited me to come to Louisiana for a week, to Shreveport and New Orleans, to put a face to Ukraine. I'm going to go there and cook with local chefs for the community, for first responders and even for some politicians. I'm going to tell them stories and I think this combination, this combination of actually tasting something will make some synapses fire here and there." When UNESCO announced the decision to protect Ukrainian borsch, they cited people being displaced from their "communities of origin and from the cultural contexts necessary for the cooking and consumption of borsch in Ukraine. Moreover, destruction to the surrounding environment and traditional agriculture has prevented communities from accessing local products, such as vegetables, needed to prepare the dish." Iryna at XIX backs this up. "The most dangerous thing, and the worst thing that they did, was they burned our fields," she says. "They burned the wheat with bombs and everything in the east of Ukraine. So you don't have a lot of food, like bread. You don't have flour. So, in order to cook, the number one thing is potato, because that's under the ground and it's easy to grow." From as far back as World War II there has been the practice of hiding food in case of invasion, Iryna explains. "In the Second World War everyone hid the food in the basement. Because everyone knows that everything can happen. My grandmother, my mother, they do all this and have a lot of things in the basement, always. Open the basement and you'll find food for five years. In fact many things are fermented or pickled because it had to be kept for a long time." Cabbage rolls filled with pork mince and rice come to the table. They are very filling with an authentic sour edge which is mutated just the right amount by mushrooms in their own sauce, which itself goes brilliantly with the oaky Bordeaux blend from the Black Sea. Cornerstones of Ukrainian Cuisine "Thanks to our climate, every region of the country has its own unique products," exalts Klopotenko. "But let's highlight a few distinctly Ukrainian flavours that set our cuisine apart from others around the world. First, sour cream — we add it to countless dishes including borsch. Second, fermented cottage cheese, which we most often use in baked goods. And third, smokiness — smoked pears, smoked meat, smoked fish, and even smoked cheese. We Ukrainians absolutely love it." Hercules agrees with the diversity of cuisines within the one country as well as the classic ingredients that all regions share. "Culturally, regional food before the Soviet Union was quite different, but there's always been a few uniting elements, which I feel make us all very Ukrainian. You can be a Crimean Tatar, you can be a Gagauz from near the Moldovan border, or you can be one of the kind of Highlanders and Carpathians, because obviously the environment dictates what you're cooking in your community, but there are just a couple of dishes that make part of our Ukrainian DNA and I know it's such a big stereotype, but it's for sure borsch." June 21st will see Hercules publish a new book - Strong Roots: A Ukrainian Family Story through War, Exile and Hope. She traces her family back 100 years and finds that at no point were their experiences not shaped in some way by cross border aggression. And so often it comes back to food. "My parents were actually in occupation when the big invasion broke out in 2022, and sometimes there would be no communication, which would just completely freak me out. And then I'll never forget this one day when my mum finally messaged me and said, we are OK and we found the strength to cook borsch today. It made everything better. And she said 'I just felt it so much in my body today'. There's something in our genetics," says Hercules, "that when you taste borsch, it does incredible things to your brain and you feel stronger and more positive." And back in Stratford, in one such establishment, sweet cherry dumplings with sour cream and brown sugar bring the education to a crescendo. The sweetness is actually subtle and welcomes the strawberry and mint accompaniment, while the empanada-thick dumplings are just light enough for there to be this many of them. Despite the politics of the last few days, Klopotenko believes that culinary soft power is on a forward trajectory and the success of XIX is certainly part of that. "Ukrainian national cuisine establishments are opening around the world," he says. "Ukrainian food festivals are being held. Step by step, we are making our mark on the global gastronomic map." Share this article
