Why NBA, tennis could bypass Hong Kong despite its new HK$30 billion Kai Tak Sports Park
City still lacks top-level tennis venue, as basketball chiefs are accused of not showing interest in hosting NBA, which instead chose Macau
Hong Kong’s ambitions of developing a host-city economy in the sports industry may have to exclude elite-level basketball and tennis, because venues at the new Kai Tak Sports Park do not meet the specifications needed.
The indoor Kai Tak Arena – the most suitable facility for basketball or tennis at the HK$30 billion (US$3.85 billion) park – falls short of recommendations set by basketball’s global governing body Fiba and the sport’s leading professional league, North America’s National Basketball Association (NBA).
The same is true for men’s and women’s professional tennis, although the arena does meet required standards for hosting table tennis, badminton, fencing and volleyball.
In his latest annual Policy Address last October, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee Ka-chiu said the government would “make full use of [Kai Tak] … to host large-scale international competitions”.
However, the Post has been told the arena has too few seats to stage NBA matches, for which the minimum capacity is 17,000 seats. Hong Kong’s newest venue has 10,000, leaving the park destined to miss out on attracting the sport’s hugely popular leading stars. China is the NBA’s largest overseas market.
Meanwhile, the new arena’s ceiling – taking into account any hanging scoreboards or monitors – is not the necessary height from the floor to host the NBA. It is not high enough for tennis’ ATP and WTA tours, either.
