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The Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) is celebrating the completion of its Redevelopment Project with a two-day Grand Opening programme this weekend. Themed “Appreciate Hong Kong, Appreciate Elite Athletes”, the celebration kicked off with the HKSI Grand Opening Ceremony today and the Open Day for local schools, followed by an International Exchange Forum and the public Open Day to be held tomorrow.

To commemorate this notable moment in Hong Kong sporting history, the HKSI was privileged to welcome the Honourable C Y Leung GBM GBS JP, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), as the officiating guest for the Grand Opening Ceremony held today at its Fo Tan headquarters.  Mr Leung unveiled a plaque to signify the grand opening of the new HKSI during the ceremony.

Other officiating guests included Mr Carlson Tong SBS JP, Chairman of the HKSI; Mr Lau Kong-wah JP, Secretary for Home Affairs; Mr Timothy Fok GBS JP, President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China; Mr Zhu Wen, Director-General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of The Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Mr Tony Yue MH JP, Chairman of the Elite Sports Committee and Ms Michelle Li JP, Director of Leisure and Cultural Services.

Mr Tong was pleased that the Grand Opening has been included as part of the "Appreciate Hong Kong" campaign that aims to showcase the strengths and beauty of Hong Kong. “We are excited at this opportunity to demonstrate to our guests and the public the determined efforts of our elite athletes and coaching staff in striving for excellence for Hong Kong on the world stage.  With the collective effort and commitment behind, the sporting achievements of our athletes perfectly indicate that we are on the right track to achieving our goals.” said Mr Tong.

Following the Government-funded HK$1.8 billion Redevelopment Project, the HKSI provides enhanced support to elite athletes with its state-of-the-art facilities, helping to catalyse the development of elite athlete training in Hong Kong.

After the ceremony, Mr Tong escorted the officiating guests on a tour of the new facilities, visiting the Badminton Hall, Table Tennis Hall, the Fitness Training Centre and Tenpin Bowling Centre, where they were greeted by some of Hong Kong’s local sporting heroes such as Li Ching, Ko Lai-chak, Lee Wai-sze, Wu Siu-hong and Kwok Hoi-ying.

The officiating guests were also introduced to seven invited guests and speakers attending the International Exchange Forum on Preparing Athletes for the 2016 Rio Olympics, sponsored by Mr Ming Wai Lau, which is a key programme of the opening commemorations being held tomorrow.  Over 10 sports science experts from China, Japan, Korea and Thailand will gather to share invaluable insights with participants.

In the afternoon session, the HKSI invited schools from its Elite Athlete-Friendly School Network for a tour around the professional facilities.  Principals, teachers, parents and students taking advantage of this special occasion learned more about the elite training and sports science support offered at the world-class training venue, and to understand the holistic approach to elite training done at the HKSI.

Those Network Schools joining the event in the afternoon, were greeted by Rebecca Chiu, HKSI squash coach and junior athletes Lam San-tung (rowing) and Ng Tsz-yau (badminton).

Educational talks on sports nutrition and sports psychology were arranged for the participants who also joined a guided tour to visit several elite sports training venues where they enjoyed several demonstrations and try-out games of badminton, table tennis, squash, rowing and Tai Chi (wushu).

The HKSI Redevelopment Project to construct new and refurbish existing international standard training facilities has been carried out in phases since 2009.  With the completion of the final phase last year, the HKSI is now perfectly geared with an array of world-class, barrier-free training and ancillary facilities to assist Hong Kong’s elite athletes to pursue excellence in the international sporting arena.

As the Government’s elite sport training systems delivery agent, the HKSI is committed to providing an environment in which sports talent can be identified, nurtured, and developed to pursue excellence in the international sporting arena and to inspire potential athletes to pursue a full-time sports career.

For video highlights of the activities, please visit the Video Gallery (Ceremony / Elite Athlete-friendly Schools Open Day).