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Lo Hoi-ying

Elizabeth Cheung

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park passed its first real test on crowd control measures on Saturday evening, as spectators dispersed swiftly after the venue’s opening ceremony ended.
About 33,000 spectators cleared out of Kai Tak Stadium in around 20 minutes after the star-studded show ended at 8:35pm.
To avoid the rush, some members of the audience started heading towards the exit around 15 minutes early. Among them was 23-year-old Thomas Yuen, who was worried about getting caught in the crowd.
“I saw a large crowd, so I was worried that crowd control measures would make it inconvenient for people to leave,” he said.


According to police’s “Easy Leave” app, the walking times from the stadium to the Sung Wong Toi and Kai Tak MTR stations were 10 minutes and 21 minutes, respectively, at the peak period around 8.50pm.
The walk to Kai Tak MTR station takes roughly 18 minutes in normal conditions.
Spectator Yuen, who was visiting the stadium for the first time, said the venue was comparable in quality to others overseas such as the O2 Arena in the UK.
Some fans who were beginning to leave made a swift return to their seats when Cantopop superstar Andy Lau Tak-wah made a surprise appearance in the highlight of Saturday’s ceremony.
Hundreds also arrived early, before doors opened at 4.30pm, while a light drizzle at around 5pm caught some by surprise.


Organisers had advised members of the public to travel light to reduce the time spent on bag checks. Spectators cannot bring umbrellas longer than 35cm into the stadium. Water bottles and vacuum flasks are also prohibited.
Spectator Raymond Lee, a member of the Wan Chai District Fight Crime Committee, suggested installing covered walkways for pedestrians heading from Sung Wong Toi MTR station to the sports park.
Sarah Wong, who works in education, arrived at the venue at around 3.40pm as she was worried about the crowds and traffic.
The MTR Corporation said it stepped up train services along the Tuen Ma line, which serves the two stations closest to the park, Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi, to every two to three minutes, an interval similar to morning peak hours.
Empty trains were also on standby to help disperse the crowds.
Bus operators KMB and Citybus also arranged 10 special routes to help people leaving the area more quickly.
Before the start of the ceremony, Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee Chung-yan visited Kai Tak MTR station to better understand crowd management measures. She later went to the sports park and inspected the preparation of the transport facilities.
The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre under the Transport Department raised its operation mode to the highest tier on Saturday afternoon to monitor conditions around the park.
Saturday’s opening followed nearly 20 test runs conducted over the past four months to ensure the venue was ready to host major events, from concerts by bands such as Coldplay to sporting tournaments such as rugby’s Hong Kong Sevens.
Additional reporting by Alfred Lam and Harvey Kong


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About 33,000 spectators cleared out of Kai Tak Stadium in around 20 minutes after end of star-studded opening show


About 33,000 spectators cleared out of Kai Tak Stadium in around 20 minutes after end of star-studded opening show.
