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Sport in Hong Kong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sports of Hong Kong, as in other countries, are important part of the culture. Hong Kong, however, have a limited amount of resources. A balanced mix of eastern and western culture sports do exist in the territory.
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| Demographics and Culture of Hong Kong |
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Geography - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal |
Hong Kong City Hall is located today where the original location of "Victoria Recreation Club" stood in 1849 after having been in operation in Canton since 1832. It is the first sporting club established in Hong Kong's history[1]. The first sports involved were water sports such as rowing.
The primary sport in Hong Kong has been football (soccer) due mainly to British influence going as far back as the late 19th century. The first documented team came from the "Chinese Football Team" of 1904, which began as a club called the "South China Athletic Club" founded by Mok Hing[1]. It was the first team to join the The Hong Kong Football Association league in 1913/1914. At the time, the introduction of Hong Kong First Division League in 1908 was also another milestone. In the 1917 Far Eastern Games and 1919 Far Eastern Games, the club represented the Republic of China and won the football championship[1]. It is the only team in Hong Kong sports history to have accomplished this feat[1]. Around 1920-1922, it formally adopted the present name of South China Athletic Association and diversified into other sports[1].
Financial Secretary John James Cowperthwaite was one of the first government official to assist Hong Kong going into the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne Australia with a contribution estimate of HK$10,000[1].
Victoria Park was one of the free range open space for pickup games. Until the Hong Kong Stadium was built, there was no arena for spectator sports. By the 1960s a number of clubs have surfaced for mostly social reasons. Since then, Hong Kong sports has been described as "Club Life". Some clubs have documented their history thoroughly, while others have disappeared along with their past.
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After World War II the Amateur Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong (ASF&OC) was established. The committee selected athletic leaders to represent Hong Kong in times of competition. Eventually the committee became known as the National Olympic Committee. After the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, Hong Kong has competed internationally under the name "Hong Kong, China" with the Bauhinia region flag. It is treated separately from People's Republic of China, which is counted as another entry in the games.
There are many different sports in Hong Kong participated by average citizens.
The traditional Chinese sport of dragon boat racing were originaly held as part of the Duan Wu festivities in Hong Kong, it is now spread internationally with races held all around the world. The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Association was a founding member of the international and regional governing bodies for dragon boat racing: The International Dragon Boat Federation and Asian Dragon Boat Federation. The oldest International Festival Races are those held in Hong Kong annually. The HKIR have been held since 1976 and are acknowledged as starting the modern era of the dragon boat sport.
The British tradition of horse racing left its mark as one of the most important entertainment and gambling institutions in Hong Kong. Established as the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club in 1884, the non-profit organisation conducts nearly 700 races every season at the two race tracks in Happy Valley and Sha Tin. The sport annually draws in over 11% of Hong Kong's tax revenue. Off-track betting is available from overseas bookmakers.
Hong Kong FC has been having trouble keeping ten professional teams in division 1. A top defender announced retirement at his early 30s to become a soccer commentator for a steady living.
The Hong Kong Marathon takes place every February and draws as many as 30,000 participants.
Hong Kong has been participating in the Asian Games since the 1954 Games. The most recent participation was the 2006 Asian Games.
Hong Kong competed at the Commonwealth Games from 1934 until 1994 as a British colony (as a Dependent territory since the 1986 Games). Over the years Team Hong Kong picked up a number of medals, including in Lawn Bowls.
Hong Kong has participated in all Summer Olympic Games since the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland. The first medal was won in the 1996 Games in Atlanta, US. Lee Lai Shan won gold in the women's mistral individual event in sailing. Coincidentally, it is also the last medal won by Hong Kong as a British dependent territory.
The territory participated under the new name and its new regional flag for the first time in the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. Hong Kong won its second ever Olympic medal in the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece where Hong Kong won silver in men's doubles event in table tennis.
Hong Kong participated its first Winter Olympic Games in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, USA. No medal has yet been won from those Games.
The Hong Kong Sevens were established in 1976 and since held in March every year except for 1997 and 2005. As part of the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby union, the two-and-a-half-day event is a tournamnent participated by as much as 22 countries.