Sports

Football lovers across Hong Kong returned to bars and restaurants to watch the game as the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off last Sunday, but some pubs didn’t see much boost in business, despite authorities relaxing opening hours earlier this month. Many venues screening the matches expected crowds, particularly for the more popular matches, including Brazil, Germany, France and England. However, Lan Kwai Fong, the city’s entertainment district, was almost quiet when the match between England and Iran was aired on Monday at 9 pm, with only a handful of patrons watching the games. Chu Ka-chun, 30, manager of The Derby Pub & Restaurants in Wan Chai, said the rapid test requirement has reduced customers' willingness to watch the game at bars and called the potential boost to business from the event “questionable”. However, Eddie Chan Ka-kin, 44, founder of Lockeroom Dining in Mong Kok, is optimistic and expects the tournament to bring up to 50% growth to his business. “Around 60% to 70% of the tables have been reserved for matches between the “traditional powerhouses,” Chan said. “It’s dull to watch the football match alone at home. Watching football matches in pubs has a completely different atmosphere,” said Jimmy Wong, a 60-year-old football enthusiast and a first-time visitor to Lan Kwai Fong to watch the tournament. Daniel Wosner, another football lover who came to Lan Kwai Fong for the tournament, said he would continue to enjoy the remaining matches there because of the excitement brought by the extended bar opening hours. This year’s FIFA World Cup tournament will run for 28 days until Dec. 18.

The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens kicked off on Friday afternoon at Hong Kong Stadium, the city’s first major sporting event since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic. With a history of almost half a century, this rugby sevens event has been postponed or cancelled five times since it was last held in 2019 due to the epidemic. After the city lifts compulsory quarantine requirements for overseas passengers in September, the world-class rugby returns. The event will run for three days and feature 45 matches with 16 teams in the group stage, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa, Spain, the United States, Uruguay and Hong Kong. The stadium capacity has been limited to 85% due to epidemic prevention, and approximately 34,000 spectators are expected to attend the game each day. One-day tickets for the first day’s matches have been sold out by Thursday night on Klook, one of the authorised sellers of this three-day sporting event. “As a local rugby fan, I am proud that the play can be hosted again in Hong Kong,” said Lai Man-kit, a local audience member. Franklin Paul, 39, from India, said watching live games can refresh him. “I feel a sense of freedom now that watching the Hong Kong Sevens is a means for me to relieve pressure,” he said. Fans are required to scan the QR code using the LeaveHomeSafe app to show the vaccine pass and provide proof of a negative Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) result before entering the stadium. Groups of people are limited to 12. The government permitted food and drink in the seated areas of the outdoor spectator stands, but audiences must wear masks when not eating or drinking. “It would enliven the atmosphere when we are allowed to …

The Hong Kong Masters snooker tournament has returned after a five-year hiatus partly because of the pandemic. Eight world-class players are competing in the championship, and the organisers expect to have an audience occupancy rate of 90% during the four-day event. “We set a new record in snooker history. We have already sold 90% of the tickets in the finals, and we are expecting to see 8,000 to 9,000 people at the Hong Kong Coliseum,” said Law Wing-chung, chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Control Council at a press conference yesterday. This is the first snooker event ever to be held at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Two Hong Kong players— Marco Fu Ka-chun and Ng On-yee, with the world’s top six players— Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Zhao Xintong, are in the games. However, Zhao Xintong withdrew from the tournament because he tested positive for Covid-19. British player, Mark Williams will replace Zhao in the line up. “I am excited because the event is finally being held in Hong Kong again. I bought the most expensive tickets on the first day of sales, and luckily, I do not have class today,” said Chan Kin-heng, a university student who was waiting to enter the Hong Kong Coliseum at noon. The relaxation of Covid restrictions has made it possible for Hong Kong to host the snooker event again after a lapse of five year. Fans said the size of the audience this year is more than what it was in 2017. “I did not expect so many people to watch the preliminaries today. In the past, only the last day would attract big crowds. There were already people queuing up to enter the venue one hour before the opening,” said Wong-Siu-chau, a retired physical education teacher. “This …

The annual charity football tournament Home and Away was held at King’s Park in Kowloon today. The event has raised over HK$170,000 this year for refugees, asylum-seekers, and human-trafficking survivors in Hong Kong. The race, organised by a non-governmental organisation, Branches of Hope, aims to help vulnerable and marginalised groups in Hong Kong, including the city’s more than 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Twenty teams and about 300 participants played in this year’s tournament. The winning team was MY Medicare Crusaders, from the corporate sector, while the first runner-up was the local student team, Benchwarmers FC. Alexander Pforte, Executive Director of Branches of Hope, said the tournament started as a friendly communal event but has grown to be "much more than that" . "For any non-profit organisation, it's always a challenge to make sure you keep the lights on, that you have the resources to implement the programme," Pforte said, adding that it took two to three months to plan the event. Oma, a 27-year-old hotel worker, who asked to be identified only by his first name, left Somalia nine years ago for political reasons and became a refugee in Hong Kong. He said the race has helped his physical and mental health. "I have something like this to look forward to, so I feel good," he said. Oma is one of the few refugees who has been granted a work permit. “I am lucky I can work,” he said. According to government statistics, there were 23,460 torture or non-refoulement claimants in Hong Kong at the end of June 2022. To date, less than 1% of cases have been substantiated, leaving most asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed, often for many years. Burkary, a 32-year-old refugee from Somalia, is an example. Burkary, who also asked to be …