Demolishing Wan Chai Sports Ground will devastate athletics, says HKAAA chief
Kwan Kee says the government assured them of a ‘suitable and comparable venue’ if they removed the home of athletics since 1979
Demolishing the Wan Chai Sports Ground would have a devastating long-term effect on athletics, the head of the HKAAA said in a strongly worded letter to the government yesterday.
Kwan Kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Amateur Athletics Association, also said the government would be reneging on an assurance that the facility would not be taken unless there was a “suitable and comparable venue to replace it”.
Kwan was reacting to an announcement in Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s Policy Address last week that, given its proximity to the Convention and Exhibition Centre, plans were afoot to comprehensively redevelop the stadium in 2019, removing the track.
The stadium has been considered the home of athletics in the city since its opening in 1979.
“Our association was shocked, disappointed and most concerned about the government’s announcement,” Kwan wrote in a letter addressed to Home Affairs Bureau head Lau Kwong-wah.
“As the government is well aware, our association has long been asking for another dedicated and exclusive sports ground in additional to the Wan Chai Sports Ground for the proper development of our sport.”
