Carrie Lam says Wan Chai Sports Ground will be demolished – eventually
Lam makes it clear the venue sits on prime property and the government could not give up on redeveloping the land
Initial jubilation over saving the Wan Chai Sports Ground from demolition was muted on Thursday after Hong Kong’s leader said the land the iconic venue sits on was too valuable not to be developed.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor surprised the sports community on Wednesday during her maiden policy speech when she said the Wan Chai Sports Ground would be spared demolition.
Instead, she announced plans to redevelop three government buildings next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre into a new wing with 23,000 square metres of space, hotel facilities and Grade A office spaces.
Track and field athletes and enthusiasts had been up in arms over the demolition proposal because the sports ground, opened 38 years ago, remains the city’s most popular training and competition venue. Fans have witnessed some of the Hong Kong records at the hallowed ground, including Tsui Chi-ho’s men’s 100 metre and Tang Yik-chun’s 200m marks.
But on Thursday, Lam made it clear that the venue sits on prime property and the government could not give up on redeveloping the land.
“In the future, if we can find a good place to relocate the sports ground, I hope the sports community would accept it.”
