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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Hong Kong Coliseum, formerly known as Hung Hom Indoor Stadium, is scheduled for completion by the end of March 1983 to be followed by one month commissioning period. It will be opened for public hiring immediately after its opening in late April 1983.
The Council sent a study team to visit many comparable indoor stadia in Europe, U.S.A. and Japan in 1982 to learn their ways of operation in order to make the management of Hong Kong Coliseum more efficient and financially self-supporting.
As regards staffing of the Coliseum, a new concept towards staff economy has been adopted whereby contract staff are to be engaged for the operation and maintenance of a number of technical services as well as floor and cleaning services; also, temporary staff will be employed to provide ushering services. Such staff to be engaged will be supervised by a nucleus of managerial and supervisory staff on the permanent and pensionable establishment.
In order to render the Coliseum, as far as possible, financially viable, and as is the general practice of stadia in North America, hirers of the Coliseum's facilities will be required to pay for up to four categories of hire charges, namely:
(a) a rental charge for the use of the venue for an uninterrupted period of time, between 12 noon and 12 midnight inclusive;
(b) charges for the operation of the various equipment, including sports/stage and collapsible seating, the consumption of electricity and the provision of various technical, floor, ushering and cleansing services;
(c) miscellaneous charges, including telecasting, radio broadcasting, filming, on-site advertisements etc.; and
(d) a box office charge.
Assuming 60% usage, i.e., 220 event days, for the Hong Kong Coliseum, it is estimated that for its initial year of operation, the Coliseum will likely incur a deficit of only $1.9 million, or 9.8% of the budgeted expenditure of $19.3 million.
The Council is now looking into the marketing aspect and is confident that the Coliseum will become a major sports and entertainment centre in the East and will stage more spectacular and entertaining events to the general public of Hong Kong at reasonable prices.
The Council continues to be the major supporter, both financially and administratively, of sports events and always lay emphasis in assisting national sports bodies.
Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of spectator sporting activities involving participation of overseas teams. 35 international projects were presented by the Council in 1982, representing a 59% increase over the previous year. This trend will likely continue with the development of international standard facilities both outdoor and indoor, in particular with the opening of the Hong Kong Coliseum. The Council will also be interested in events with wide spectator appeal including those with professional content. A greater number of these activities featuring a much wider range of sports will be presented in the years to come for the enjoyment of the general public.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
151
The success of the Council's Sports Promotion Programme is due to a large extent to the cooperation and support rendered by national sports bodies, government departments, district boards and various community organizations. Continued effort will be made through the Council's Sports Promotion Section to maintain close liaison with these organizations and provide them with the necessary financial assistance, provision of venues and technical support in their planning and development programmes including programmes for senior citizens as suggested by Miss YEUNG earlier. The Council is looking forward to an even more encouraging year in 1983.
The aim of sports promotion at grass roots level is to encourage the general public to participate in healthy sports and recreational training and competitions of their choice which will help the participants to attain a reasonable level of physical fitness and at the same time carry on their daily work energetically. Physical fitness is a preventive measure ensuring health conditions with subsequent reduction in medical treatment and improvement in productivity. Physical fitness examination and assessment is an integral part of the whole promotion exercise but has not been looked into in Hong Kong systematically. This is an area where the Council should consider setting up a division which would go into various aspects including medical consultation and physiotherapy treatments to athletes. Sports medicine is a subject as important as sports promotion.
Concern has repeatedly been expressed by some sectors of the public over the confusion which exists in their mind on the organization of sports and recreational programmes due to the many different public bodies dealing with various but oftentimes similar aspects of such activities. Organizations which are concerned with sports and recreation include, apart from this Council through the Urban Services Department, the New Territories Services Department, Recreation and Culture Department and the Jubilee Sports Centre, not to mention the many private or local organizations which are also involved from time to time. To the public, it will be difficult for them to appreciate the reason for the different Government Departments to be similarly involved. The most apparent justification, perhaps, is the geographical responsibility for the New Territories and for the Urban areas by the N.T. Services Department and the U.S.D. respectively. Even this geographical distinction, however, will gradually disappear with the change of circumstances over the years, as the N.T., Kowloon and the Hong Kong Island are all parts of the whole territory of Hong Kong. The fact that many departments and bodies are concerned with the promotion, organization and co-ordination of sports and recreation activities
Page 97 of 142
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1
150
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Hong Kong Coliseum, formerly known as Hung Hom Indoor Stadium, is scheduled for completion by the end of March 1983 to be followed by one month commissioning period. It will be opened for public hiring immediately
after its opening in late April 1983.
The Council sent a study team to visit many comparable indoor stadia in Europe, U.S.A. and Japan in 1982 to learn their ways of operation in order to make the management of Hong Kong Coliseum more efficient and financially
self-supporting.
As regards staffing of the Coliseum, a new concept towards staff economy has been adopted whereby contract staff are to be engaged for the operation and maintenance of a number of technical services as well as floor and cleaning services; also, temporary staff will be employed to provide ushering services. Such staff to be engaged will be supervised by a nucleus of managerial and supervisory staff on the permanent and pensionable establishment.
In order to render the Coliseum, as far as possible, financially viable, and as is the general practice of stadia in North America, hirers of the Coliseum's facilities will be required to pay for up to four categories of hire charges, namely:
(a) a rental charge for the use of the venue for an uninterrupted period of time,
between 12 noon and 12 midnight inclusive;
(b) charges for the operation of the various equipment, including sports/stage and collapsible seating, the consumption of electricity and the provision of various technical, floor, ushering and cleansing services;
(c) miscellaneous charges, including telecasting, radio broadcasting, filming,
on-site advertisements etc.; and
(d) a box office charge.
Assuming 60% usage, i.e., 220 event days, for the Hong Kong Coliseum, it is estimated that for its initial year of operation, the Coliseum will likely incur a deficit of only $1.9 million, or 9.8% of the budgetted expenditure of $19.3 million.
The Council is now looking into the marketing aspect and is confident that the Coliseum will become a major sports and entertainment centre in the East and will stage more spectacular and entertaining events to the general public of Hong Kong at reasonable prices.
The Council continues to be the major supporter, both financially and administratively, of sports events and always lay emphasis in assisting national sports bodies.
Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of spectator sporting activities involving participation of overseas teams. 35 international projects were presented by the Council in 1982, representing a 59% increase
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 97 of 142
151
over the previous year. This trend will likely continue with the development of international standard facilities both outdoor and indoor, in particular with the opening of the Hong Kong Coliseum. The Council will also be interested in events with wide spectator appeal including those with professional content. A greater number of these activities featuring a much wider range of sports will be presented in the years to come for the enjoyment of the general public.
The success of the Council's Sports Promotion Programme is due to a large extent to the cooperation and support rendered by national sports bodies, government departments, district boards and various community_organiza- tions. Continued effort will be made through the Council's Sports Promotion Section to maintain close liaison with these organizations and provide them with the necessary financial assistance, provision of venues and technical support in their planning and development programmes including programmes for senior citizens as suggested by Miss YEUNG earlier. The Council is looking forward to an even more encouraging year in 1983.
The aim of sports promotion at grass roots level is to encourage the general public to participate in healthy sports and recreational training and competi- tions of their choice which will help the participants to attain a reasonable level of physical fitness and at the same time carry on their daily work energetically. Physical fitness is a preventive measure ensuring health conditions with subsequent reduction in medical treatment and improvement in productivity. Physical fitness examination and assessment is an integral part of the whole promotion exercise but has not been looked into in Hong Kong systematically. This is an area where the Council should consider setting up a division which would go into various aspects including medical consultation and physio- therapy treatments to athletes. Sports medicine is a subject as important as sports promotion.
Concern has repeatedly been expressed by some sectors of the public over the confusion which exists in their mind on the organization of sports and recreational programmes due to the many different public bodies dealing with various but oftentimes similar aspects of such activities. Organizations which are concerned with sports and recreation include, apart from this Council through the Urban Services Department, the New Territories Services Depart- ment, Recreation and Culture Department and the Jubilee Sports Centre, not to mention the many private or local organizations which are also involved from time to time. To the public, it will be difficult for them to appreciate the reason for the different Government Departments to be similarly involved. The most apparent justification, perhaps, is the geographical responsibility for the New Territories and for the Urban areas by the N.T. Services Department and the U.S.D. respectively. Even this geographical distinction, however, will gradually disappear with the change of circumstances over the years, as the N.T., Kowloon and the Hong Kong Island are all parts of the whole territory of Hong Kong. The fact that many departments and bodies are concerned with the promotion, organization and co-ordination of sports and recreation activities
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