ENG-2014 — Page 376

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Recreation, Sport, Culture and the Arts

Macao. Intellectually disabled athletes won 104 medals during the year, comprising 46 gold, 32 silver and 26 bronze.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club this year celebrates its 130th Anniversary season, having been founded by a small group of racing enthusiasts in 1884, though the first informal race meetings in Hong Kong can be traced back to the mid-1840s. Today, horse racing is not only a favourite sport among local residents but also an iconic attraction for many overseas visitors, and Hong Kong is recognised as one of the leading jurisdictions in the sport worldwide. The city's two racecourses at Sha Tin in the New Territories and Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island attract total attendance of more than two million people a year, as well as being popular venues for staging community events.

The Jockey Club 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 the public demand for betting and combat illegal gambling, playing a leading role in promoting responsible gambling. It 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 extend far beyond sporting entertainment. It is Hong Kong's largest single taxpayer, contributing $19.6 billion to the public purse in 2013-14, or 8 per cent of all taxes collected. It is also one of the city's largest employers, with some 24,800 full- and part-time staff. Its total economic contribution to Hong Kong is estimated at $31.9 billion, or about 1.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.

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 2013-14, it donated a record $3.6 billion to 168 local projects through the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. These projects will ultimately touch the lives of some three- quarters of the local population.

To safeguard these contributions 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 2010 it has committed investment of some $6.3 billion to a comprehensive Racecourse Master Plan, aimed at making racecourse visits a world-class entertainment experience and attracting new generations to the sport.

To further elevate Hong Kong racing's standards, the club is creating an additional racehorse training centre at Conghua, Guangdong Province, on a site previously used for the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games' equestrian events. This is expected to commence operations in the 2017-18

season.

With a current population of only 1,200 racehorses and no breeding industry, Hong Kong pulls its weight remarkably in international racing circles. It is the home base of many leading

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