Sports, creative industries to be bolstered

January 16, 2013

Planning the multi-purpose sports complex at Kai Tak is a priority, Chief Executive CY Leung said, adding it will attract major international sports events and enhance people’s quality of life. 
 
“We will ensure that it meets the needs of the sports sector and the wider community as far as possible,” he said in his Policy Address today.
 
He added the Government would continue to collaborate with national sports associations to attract international events. Starting next year, Hong Kong will host a Women’s Tennis Association-sanctioned international tournament.
 
The Government will also co-operate with the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation to provide appropriate support to students from low-income families, so they can fully realise their sporting potential, he said.
 
Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industries will also get a boost, Mr Leung said, adding he will explore suitable mechanisms to give them full support. Suitable vacant school premises are also being identified to provide more arts space.
 
As local arts groups have flourished in recent years, the demand for arts administrators is growing. The Government will allocate an additional $150 million in funding to strengthen arts administrators’ training.
 
It will also inject an additional $300 million into Create Hong Kong’s CreateSmart Initiative, to continue to facilitate creative industries’ development.