Kai Tak Sports Park opening delayed until 2024 as pandemic impacts construction supplies

Kai Tak Sports Park - the new sports and entertainment precinct being developed in Hong Kong - will not be ready for its planned 2023 opening date after delays in construction work, with the main 50,000-seat stadium now not set to open until 2024.

The adjacent indoor sports arena, which has a seating capacity of up to 10,000, has also slipped to mid-2024. However, a public sports ground designed for community sports, sports days, training sessions and domestic competitions, including 5,000 spectator seats, is still anticipated to open in late 2023.

The Sports Park has been designed by Populous and will be operated by ASM Global. The precinct is located beside the harbour at Hong Kong’s Kowloon Bay, and is designed to be a unique year-round destination with multi-purpose facilities.

Hong Kong Commissioner of Sports, Yeung Tak-keung advised that the COVID pandemic had delayed the supply of construction materials, and that opening of the US$3.82 billion (HK$30 billion) facility at the former Kai Tak Airport site, scheduled for 2023, would have to be moved back.

According to the The Standard newspaper, Yeung noted that many of the shipments have been affected by the pandemic, with most of the materials for construction having to be imported. Yeung shared “we have ordered many construction materials, such as steel and other component parts, but the shipment dates kept changing. Some suppliers were unable to provide the materials and (we) had to find other suppliers.”

Yeung also blamed delays on a shortage of workers.

However, Yeung believes the delay will not affect the 2025 National Games of China, which Hong Kong will co-host with Guangdong and Macau.

With a seating capacity of 50,000, the main stadium boasts a retractable roof and flexible pitch surface that can host a wide range of events in any weather.

The 10,000-seat indoor venue, in which 80% of the seats are retractable or removable, is designed to meet the standard needed to host major international tournaments including those in badminton, basketball, gymnastics, tennis and table tennis.

According to SCMP, the secretary general of the Hong Kong Olympic Committee, Ronnie Wong Man-chiu, said the sports community was disappointed by the delay but not surprised adding “we understand that the pandemic has brought a lot of problems to society and the construction of such large-scale facilities will definitely be affected. We have seen a lot of construction work on government projects having been delayed even without the pandemic.

“But the Kai Tak Sports Park is a landmark facility which has been the dream of Hong Kong sports over the years. Of course we want to see it completed as soon as possible, but there is little we can do, because of interruptions brought by the pandemic.”