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Recreation, Sport and the Arts
Invitational Competition in Taiwan. A total of 129 medals, comprising 53 gold, 43 silver and 33 bronze, were won by the intellectually disabled athletes during the year.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Horse racing is one of Hong Kong's most popular sports, attracting some two million local residents and visitors a year to the city's two racecourses at Sha Tin in the New Territories and Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island. On major race days, attendance can be as high as 80,000. Many meetings are broadcast live to overseas countries and regions including Macao, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the largest racing organisations and football betting operators in the world. It is Hong Kong's only authorised operator of horse racing and regulated football betting, and also operates the Mark Six lottery. It works closely with the Government to meet public demand for gambling and to combat illegal betting, playing a leading role in promoting responsible gambling behaviour.
The club was the first organisation in Asia to receive the highest Level 4 accreditation under the Responsible Gambling Framework of the World Lottery Organisation, and is also the major contributor to the Ping Wo Fund, established by the Government to address problem gambling issues and provide counselling and remedial services.
The club's contributions to Hong Kong are manifold. It is Hong Kong's largest single taxpayer, contributing $16.17 billion to the public purse in 2011-12, or 6.8 per cent of all taxes collected by the Inland Revenue Department during the year. It is also one of the city's largest employers, with over 26,000 full- and part-time staff. It provides more than 10 per cent of all part-time employment opportunities in Hong Kong.
In addition, the club is Hong Kong's largest non-government community benefactor, operating under a not-for-profit business model with its surpluses used to fund charitable and community projects. In 2011-12, it donated a record $1.73 billion to 155 local projects through the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. These projects will ultimately touch the lives of some 5.4 million people, or three-quarters of the local population.
Anxious to ensure that these contributions can be safeguarded in the face of growing local and regional competition from gaming and entertainment operators, as well as from illegal and unauthorised offshore bookmakers, the club has adopted numerous initiatives to maintain the long-term sustainability of Hong Kong horse racing. Since 2008 it has invested in a comprehensive Racecourse Master Plan, aimed at making racecourse visits a world-class experience. It is also attracting new generations to the sport through a carefully-planned customer segmentation strategy. In tandem with this, discussions are ongoing with the Government on measures to maintain the club's competitiveness, including the introduction of commingled bets on Hong Kong races from overseas and the lowering of betting duties.
The international races held at Sha Tin Racecourse each December have become widely recognised as the 'Turf World Championships, with four International Group One events being staged on a single day for a total purse of $72 million. The 2012 International Races attracted 27
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