Sports events show the charm of Hong Kong s "City of Grand Events"

Our newspaper's special correspondent in Hong Kong Ye Lan

On the evening of August 23, the Saudi Super Cup final was staged in Hong Kong, with Riyadh Victory Team vs. Jeddah Nationals. Luo Shupei, Director of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said that Hong Kong football matches have climaxes this summer, with the Saudi Super Cup attracting more than 250,000 visitors, and the atmosphere is warm.

Mainland fans went to Hong Kong in the rain

According to Hong Kong Radio on the 24th, in the Saudi Super Cup held at the Hong Kong Stadium on the evening of the 23rd, the Jeddah Nationals tied the Riyadh victory team led by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo 2:2 in regular time, and won 5:3 in the penalty shootout. Ronaldo performed well in the first half and once performed a wonderful front-end barb. In the 41st minute, Riyadh victorious team got a penalty kick due to the opponent's handball, and Ronaldo took the penalty and helped the team lead (as shown in the picture). Hong Kong media said that this time Ronaldo's visit to Hong Kong was not disappointing. He played 90 minutes at the age of 40 in the game, and his performance was hard, "the fans were beaten badly." Some fans of Ronaldo said that the result of the game was a pity, but it was wonderful and the atmosphere on the scene was also very good.

Before the 23rd game, it started drizzling in the evening, but it still could not hide the enthusiasm of the fans. Since the semi-finals on the 19th were on the working day, many fans missed it, and more people decided to support them in the rain on the day of the final. Many mainland fans rushed to Hong Kong on weekends. Some fans from Beijing told the Global Times that they took the high-speed train after getting off work last Thursday, arrived in Hong Kong early on Friday morning, and took a plane back to Beijing on Sunday. "It is very convenient to go to Hong Kong to watch the game now. It does not delay work, and can play for one more day."

"Saudi Super Cup 2025" China Hong Kong Station was grandly held at the Hong Kong Stadium from August 19 to 23, and Hong Kong became the first East Asian region to host the event. The organizer Senli Sports announced the ticket prices on July 12, ranging from HK$499 to HK$2,990. It is worth noting that from the organizer's publicity poster, you can see the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo who plays for the Riyadh Victory Team and the French star Benzema of the Jeddah Nationals. Sure enough, on August 14, Ronaldo arrived in Hong Kong with the Riyadh victory team. According to Hong Kong media reports, a total of 4 teams participated in the Saudi Super Cup, two semi-finals and one final. The semi-finals of Riyadh Victory Team vs. Jeddah United Team and Jeddah Nationals vs. Hubairkudicia Team on the 20th. The winners of the two games held the final on the 23rd.

"Will choose Hong Kong again"

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Chan Mo-po, who presided over the award ceremony, published an article on the 24th, citing the Saudi organizer's statement that there are two major reasons for the site of this event. One is Hong Kong's international status, and the other is Hong Kong's role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and even the entire China and Asia.

Lo Shupei, Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, revealed that she had met with the chairman of the Saudi Arabian Football Association, who expressed her satisfaction with the effectiveness of hosting the Super Cup in Hong Kong and was surprised by the strong football atmosphere in Hong Kong. The fans were both civilized and enthusiastic, and cheered strongly. "It fully demonstrated the charm of Hong Kong's football. He appreciated our ability to organize the game and revealed that he may choose Hong Kong as the venue for the event in the future."

Luo Shupei further stated that Hong Kong has world-class event facilities. This summer, the Hong Kong Stadium has held many heavyweight events one after another, from the visit of Manchester United in the Premier League to the international friendly match between Hong Kong and India in June, and then to the end of July, European giants such as Liverpool, Arsenal, AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. During the Saudi Super Cup, more than 250,000 fans have been attracted to watch the game. "The foreign teams visiting Hong Kong can feel the enthusiasm and support of Hong Kong fans, and they will have a very good experience."

Watching trend promotes the "major event economy"

Although the weather is unstable in August, it does not hinder the enthusiasm of tourists. According to statistics, on August 9 and August 16, more than 200,000 and more than 210,000 mainland tourists came to Hong Kong, setting a new high for mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong in a single day except for May Day since February 2023. On the 19th, although it was a working day, wonderful concerts and football matches were performed at venues of different sizes such as Kai Tak's main venue, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong Stadium and West Kowloon Cultural District, including the Saudi Super Cup, G.E.M. and Lam Ka-chung's concert, and the third-time performance of the "Big King" musical, etc., to meet the preferences of different citizens. These programs alone attracted nearly 100,000 viewers, nearly half of which were out-of-town tourists. Luo Shupei said that G.E.M. Deng’s concert at the main venue of Kai Tak has 40,000 audiences, and sixteen became mainland tourists. These mainland tourists are likely to choose to stay in Hong Kong for a few more days to visit and participate in other events.

According to Hong Kong's Oriental Daily on the 24th, the International Cycling League (UCI) recently disclosed the schedule of the World Cup venue cycling race from next year to 2028. The Hong Kong station will be held from April 17 to 19 next year and from April 23 to 25, 2027, and the 2027 event will be one of the qualifying events of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Liang Hongde, chairman of the Hong Kong Cycling Association of China, said that holding world-class events will help enhance Hong Kong's international image and attract overseas audiences to come to Hong Kong to watch the competition, which will then drive hotel, catering, retail and tourism businesses and promote the "event economy".

Luo Shupei said that cultural and sports events will drive tourism-related industries, such as catering and retail. For example, before the G.E.M.’s concert started, there was a lot of people at Kai Tak Retail Store, and many restaurants had to queue up. Kaide Sports Park Operation Company stated that nearly 30% of restaurants extended their business hours until the early morning due to concerts, and the sales of retail stores in July increased by more than 20% compared with the initial opening of the sports park in March, "all Dingcai began to flourish." In addition, different Asian and local bands and singers have also announced concerts at Kai Tak Sports Park.

Luo Shupei said that exciting events will come one after another, including the National Games at the end of the year. The "National Experience and Jump National Games" event hosted by Qingtu, guided by the Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and co-organized by Yau Tsim Mong Home Affairs Office was held in the West Kowloon Cultural District Free Space Box on the 23rd. In his speech, Zhuo Yongxing, deputy director of the Department of Government Affairs, who attended the event, said that he would seize this opportunity to demonstrate Hong Kong's ability to prepare for large-scale sports events to the whole country and even the world, deepen cooperation and exchanges in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and all aspects, and jointly build a first-class bay area. Zhuo Yongxing said that he will make full use of existing venues, including Kai Tak Sports Park, plus the Central Waterfront and Victoria Park, to show the charm and vitality of Hong Kong's "City of Grand Events".