With a longstanding commitment to local sports development, Henderson Land Development Company Limited (“Henderson Land” or “the Group”) (Stock code: 12) actively encourages young people to surpass their limits and pursue their dreams. During the upcoming Paris Olympics, the Group is launching the “Breaking New Ground” campaign, introducing a series of events and programmes around four key themes, namely “Inspire”, “Engage”, “Play” and “Cheer”. These activities include a summer sports training programme led by Hong Kong athletes for secondary school students and a meet-and-greet with members of the Hong Kong, China Delegation at the Paris Olympics as well as other elite athletes, with an aim to foster the local sports scene and the development of local athletes. In addition, the Group will host a variety of sports-themed activities at its major shopping malls, such as live-streaming key Olympic events, a photo exhibition featuring local athletes and sharing sessions, to rally support for Hong Kong athletes and get the city into the Olympic spirit.
The Group organised a campaign kick-off ceremony today, with Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, GBS, JP, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr Sam Wong Tak-sum, MH, Commissioner for Sports in Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau; Mr Augustine Wong Ho-ming, JP, Executive Director, Henderson Land; and Ms Peionie Kong Po-yan, General Manager, Portfolio Leasing Department (2), Henderson Land, as officiating guests.
Officiating at the ceremony, Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “With the Paris Olympics almost upon us, our Hong Kong athletes have already made a strong showing by qualifying for over 30 Olympic events. My thanks goes to Henderson Land for its support in live-streaming Olympic events at its shopping malls so that the public will be able to experience the Olympic spirit anytime, anywhere. I’m here to appeal to everyone to cheer for the national team and the Hong Kong, China Delegation, offering their full support to the athletes from China and Hong Kong participating in this quadrennial sporting extravaganza.”
Mr Augustine Wong Ho-ming, Executive Director, Henderson Land, said: “Just like our athletes, Henderson Land has pushed boundaries and demonstrated exceptional perseverance when it comes to creating iconic and innovative urban landmarks. The Henderson, our recently completed super Grade-A commercial project, is a vivid example. Our ‘Breaking New Ground’ campaign goes hand in hand with the Government's efforts to promote the mega-event economy by hosting a series of Olympic and sports-related activities to spread the Olympic spirit across the city and cheer for the Hong Kong, China Delegation.”
#Inspire
Committed to supporting young local athletes’ sports and academic development, the Lee Shau Kee Foundation made a donation of HK$7.2 million to the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2022 to establish the “HKU Lee Shau Kee Top Athletes Scholarship”. The scholarship programme awards HK$400,000 each to some of the outstanding athletes admitted to HKU through the “Top Athletes Direct Admission Scheme”, encouraging them to pursue their dreams without fear. So far, the initiative has supported a total of 20 local athletes, including Tse Ying-suet, Cindy Cheung Sum-yuet and Colemen Wong Chak-lam. Most of the awardees have represented Hong Kong in major international competitions, with some set to compete in the Paris Olympics next month. Also, the Group will sponsor HKU to organise a meet-and-greet event in October at the rooftop banquet hall of The Henderson, the Group’s flagship commercial development in Central, where “HKU Lee Shau Kee Top Athletes Scholarship” recipients, including Olympians, will share with secondary school students their journeys of pursuing sports and academic excellence.
#Engage
To further promote local sports development, Henderson Land has partnered with GDCD Association Limited, a youth sports charity, and InspiringHK Sports Foundation to host a summer sports training programme for nearly 200 secondary school students between June and August. The programme is led by Hong Kong athletes who have competed in the Olympics and other major international events, such as Alex Fong Lik-Sun, Shawn Cheung Siu-lun and Yip Pui-yin, sharing their experiences and imparting their skills in swimming, fencing, table tennis, badminton, windsurfing, tennis, etc.
#Play
To give this summer an added boost of energy and dynamism, the Group will organise a host of sports-themed activities at its major shopping malls MCP, Tseung Kwan O and MOSTown, Ma On Shan. Among them is an amusement park featuring popular cartoon characters to enable the public to take part in sports games and get into the Olympic spirit.
#Cheer
Before the start of the Paris Olympics, the Group has invited nine recipients of the HKU Lee Shau Kee Top Athletes Scholarship — namely Tse Ying-suet, Coleman Wong Chak-lam, Lawrence Ng Lok-wang, Cindy Cheung Sum-yuet, Lam Siu-hang, Rina Lin Ming-fu, Nicholas Edward Choi, Charlotte Emily Hall and Russell Williams Aylsworth — to cheer for their fellow local athletes on the Group’s social media platforms, uniting the city in supporting them to bring more sporting glory to Hong Kong. As well as teaming up with TV stations to live-stream Olympic events, MCP in Tseung Kwan O and MOSTown in Ma On Shan will host the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China’s “Eyes on the Olympics” athlete photo exhibition, infusing the broader community with the Olympic spirit.