Hong Kong Government ‘quite confident’ Kai Tak Sports Park will be able to host 2025 China National Games

The Hong Kong Government has said it remains confident that the delayed Kai Tak Sports Park will be ready to open by the end of 2024, in time for the city to co-host the 2025 China National Games.

The new HK$30 billion (US$3.8 billion) venue and precinct was originally planned to open this year but it is still under construction after delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which last year caused its expected completion date to be put back to 2024.

Speaking earlier this month to the Hong Kong Legislative Council during its Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports on Monday, acting Sports Commissioner Paul Cheng Ching-wan, said progress at the park was “quite satisfactory”.

As reported by the South China Morning Post, Cheng advised “we have assessed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the rainy season, and we are quite confident the park can be completed by the end of 2024.

“We expect the National Games will take place in September or October 2025, so there will be about eight to nine months for us to work on the park. The test events of [Games] sports will be held before the Games and there will be ample time for these events.”

Hong Kong Undersecretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Raistlin Lau Chun said that the Government had plans to stage eight sports at the Games, which it will co-host with Guangdong and Macau.

The eight - subject to approval from the General Administration of Sport of China - are football, fencing, handball, rugby sevens, cycling, golf, sailing incorporating windsurfing, and beach volleyball, as reported by the Post in December.

It is expected that about 1,800 athletes and officials will come to Hong Kong during the Games for the events in the eight sports.

Several of those, including football, rugby, fencing and handball, are expected to be held at Kai Tak Sports Park.

Cheng said the government had contingency plans involving other facilities in Hong Kong that could host the events if the new venue is not completed.

The Kai Tak Sports Park features a main stadium of 50,000 seats with a retractable roof, along with a 10,000-seat indoor sports centre and a 5,000-seat public sports ground.

Lau said the government would set up the National Games Coordination Office in October to take on planning and implementation for the 2025 Games.

The project recently secured the Grand Award - Project Category at the Hong Kong open BIM/openGIS Awards organised by Hong Kong Alliance.

A recently release video showing Building Information Modelling (BIM) of the construction of the main stadium is enabling project managers and builders to accurately visualise the project at an early stage with a detailed 3D virtual model, thus enhancing on-site collaboration, construction quality and efficiency.

Image: A recent render of the 50,000 seat centrepiece venue of the Kai Tak Sports Park. Credit: Kai Tak Sports Park.