Kai Tak Sports Park Breaks Ground!

Speech by Chairman of Kai Tak Sports Park Limited
Dr. Adrian Cheng

The Honourable Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mrs Carrie Lam, the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, dear guests, and friends from the media:

Kai Tak Sports Park is one of the most important project of the Hong Kong SAR Government to support long-term sports development in Hong Kong. Kai Tak Sports Park Limited is honoured to be part of this, together with the best global and local design, build and operate specialists as one team, to jointly create this world-class sports precinct.

Today, I am glad to lead our whole team to join the Groundbreaking Ceremony of this Sports Park. The facilities of the Sports Park will attract many large scale international sports events into Hong Kong. We are looking forward to creating the stage for international sports events where local elite athletes can excel, and where the community can come together for sports activities and recreation, ultimately achieving the objectives of promoting elite sports and sports-for-all.

Kai Tak Sports Park is situated in the heart of the city and it will be easily accessible. The masterplan follows a comprehensive development area concept, which integrates high-quality sports facilities, leisure open space, retail and dining outlets, entertainment and community activities all together. The design uses the Kai Tak Sports Avenue as the main axis that connects all the major venues within the Sports Park, together with the nearby communities, parks and harbourfront. At the same time, the Main Stadium adopts the “Pearl of the Orient” façade design theme with a panoramic glass wall that provides exceptional views of the scenic harbourfront to spectators, bridging the vast activities to the city.

I believe that the Kai Tak Sports Park will be a new landmark for Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. It will definitely bring sports events to a whole new level for Hong Kong, Asia, and even the rest of the World.

Our whole team promises to do our best to deliver a sports park that will make the people of Hong Kong proud.

Kai Tak Sports Park. Ready. Set. Soar!

Thank you!

Speech by Project Director of Kai Tak Sports Park Limited
Mr. John Sharkey

The Honourable Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mrs Lam, Mr. Lau, most distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning.

The Kai Tak Sports Park team consider it a privilege and an honour to have been selected to undertake this most important project for the Government and the people of Hong Kong and to be part of this chapter in Hong Kong’s wonderful history. We have assembled a team of international and local experts which I am proud to say are all leaders in the sports industry and their respective disciplines in design and construction, both internationally and locally. But more importantly, the very same team has been working together as one team with one culture since pre-qualification over two years ago.

In Populous and Arup we have two of the most prestigious and expert design and engineering firms in the world, spanning many years and many continents with experience and delivery across numerous buildings and sports venues worldwide, ranging from the London Olympics to NFL Superbowls, Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest) to King Abdullah Sports City, and lately the Kuala Lumpur Sports City.

Locally, in Hip Hing Engineering, Simon Kwan & Associates Limited and ADI, we have partners with a proven track record in delivering local construction, architecture and public landscaping solutions with the work of these practices to be found in many of the landmark buildings which define Hong Kong today.

We commend the Hong Kong Government on placing Operations, as well as Design and Construction, at the heart of the tender for the award of the Kai Tak Sports Park contract and we believe we have best in class in terms of operational delivery.

In SMG and Lagardère Sports we have globally recognized businesses with a history of best in class venue operations and collectively over 60 years’ experience across both the sporting world and the Asia Pacific region.

From venue management in hundreds of venues across many continents, including many multi-venue campuses just like Kai Tak Sports Park, to relationships with leading global and regional sports associations, our two venue practices are global venue management authorities, and commercial rights and sports programming experts.

Best practice from venues such as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Centre in San Francisco, Houston’s NRG Park, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and the Manchester Arena in the United Kingdom will be employed to achieve the global ambition set for Kai Tak Sports Park.

Our team is completed by specialist consultancies such as the Takenaka Corporation, the Robert Bird Group, Huawei and STRI who are providing expertise in areas from stadium roof and structures to ICT & Communications to turf management. We are delighted and grateful to have such deep-rooted expertise on the team.

Kai Tak Sports Park will be designed and built for the people of Hong Kong. Our aim is to create one of the world’s best theatres for sport in a multi-purpose complex, surrounded by a stunning neighbourhood. Our clean, yet elegant designs will blend a uniquely Hong Kong spirit across Kai Tak Sports Park with connections to the water and views beyond to one of the world’s most iconic city skylines.

We have reached out to various sectors of the community since the tender stage to understand and take account of their needs in our design and operations planning. We shall continue to keep listening so that we make Kai Tak Sports Park all things for all of Hong Kong’s people. It will be a facility for all of the community to watch, learn and participate in sport regardless of age, ability or background; it will be a destination for the people of Hong Kong and beyond; and it will be a place where the careers of Hong Kong’s sports’ men and women will take off on an international stage.

The hard work now begins as the project team strives to make this dream a reality. We look forward to seeing you all again at our opening ceremony in a few years from now.

Kai Tak Sports Park – ready, set, soar.

Thank you.