Upgraded Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures to host first public appearance of giant pandas An An and Ke Ke tomorrow

Two giant pandas gifted by the Central Government will make their first public appearance tomorrow at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures at Ocean Park. The newly-named An An and Ke Ke are expected to attract more visitors to the park in the future.

Club Chairman Michael Lee (1st left) joined HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee (7th right); wife of the HKSAR Chief Executive Janet Lee (7th left); Executive Deputy Director Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhou Ji (6th right); Deputy Director and member of the Leading Party Group of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Li Yunqing (6th left); Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR Zheng Yanxiong (5th left); Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in HKSAR Cui Jianchun (4th right), and other guests officiate at the giant panda greeting ceremony.

A giant panda greeting ceremony was held today (7 December).

Since their arrival in Hong Kong on 26 September, An An and Ke Ke have been living in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures, which have been upgraded with the support of the Club’s Charities Trust. The pandas have spent their time acclimatising to their new home and enjoying the new facilities.

A giant panda greeting ceremony was held today (7 December). Club Chairman Michael Lee joined HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee; wife of the HKSAR Chief Executive Janet Lee; Executive Deputy Director Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhou Ji; Deputy Director and member of the Leading Party Group of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Li Yunqing; Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR Zheng Yanxiong; Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in HKSAR Cui Jianchun, and other guests officiated at the ceremony.

HKSAR Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (centre); Club Chairman Michael Lee (left) and Chairman of Ocean Park Corporation Paulo Pong (right) at the upgraded Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures.

In total The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has approved over HK$121 million to upgrade the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures and to expand the Giant Panda Adventure. This includes the addition of snowing features and landscape restoration, which provide a high quality, safe, age-appropriate and more natural living habitat for giant pandas. The giant pandas Ying Ying, Le Le and their twin babies currently living in the park will also be able to enjoy the new facilities.

Guests tour at the upgraded Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures

In addition, the donation will support educational programmes for students from underprivileged backgrounds, enabling them to visit the giant pandas at Ocean Park.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is committed to promoting sustainable development. The Club funded Ocean Park’s construction and initial operations after it opened in 1977. In 1998, the Club’s Charities Trust funded the construction of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat, which was later renovated and renamed the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

The Club has also supported community projects such as the Jockey Club Ocean Park Education Programme and the Jockey Club Giant Panda Junior Volunteer Programme, aimed at fostering awareness of rare animal species, including national treasures like giant pandas. To date, the Club and its Charities Trust has approved a total of over HK$900 million in donations towards Ocean Park’s development and operations.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

The Club’s support for Ocean Park, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) and the Yao Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration in the promotion of basketball and the development of youth sports. The partnership aims to support the national strategy of building the country into a sports powerhouse, contributing to the high-quality development of the sports industry.

Guests at the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony between The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Yao Foundation.

The signing ceremony took place on 7 December at the Club’s Sha Tin Clubhouse between Yao Ming, Chairman of the Yao Foundation, and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Club. Under the MoU, both parties will explore joint initiatives and exchange activities to strengthen basketball promotion and youth sports development.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Jockey Club, said the Club believes in the power of sport to change lives and has long supported sports development at every level, “Basketball is one of Hong Kong’s most popular team sports and a key focus of the Club’s sports development strategy. The Club shares the same vision with the Yao Foundation and we look forward to collaborating with it to further develop basketball in the community in support of the physical and mental well-being of young people and to strengthen social cohesion.”

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (right), Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Yao Ming (left), Chairman of the Yao Foundation sign a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the promotion of basketball and youth sports development.

Yao Ming, Chairman of the Yao Foundation, said the Yao Foundation is guided by the philosophy of “educating through sports” and is committed to supporting education and promoting the healthy development of young people. With the sports development of young people being a focus for The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the visions of both organisations are highly aligned. He hoped that both organisations would join hands to explore cooperative projects to strengthen the promotion of basketball and youth sports development in order to empower young people to enjoy the fun of sports for all-round growth.

As a world-class sports and entertainment organisation with a strong commitment to the nation and to Hong Kong, the Club actively supports national and local sports development at both community and elite levels. These efforts reflect the Club’s purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of society. The Club is expanding its support for sports development further, pledging HK$3 billion over the next three years.

Before the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (left), Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Yao Ming (right), Chairman of the Yao Foundation engaged in a sharing and exchange session. Both expressed their shared commitment to further developing basketball in the community.

In support of basketball development, the Club’s Charities Trust has committed over HK$70 million to the Jockey Club Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme with the aim of making basketball more accessible for students and underprivileged groups. With 3 on 3 basketball now a medal event at the Olympic and Asian Games, the Club has also supported the Hong Kong Police Force to organise the Junior Police Call Anti-Narcotics and Fight Crime 3x3 Basketball Training Programme, supporting this game’s development among young people.

Other past related initiatives include the “Jockey Club Sports Empowering Programme” organised by the Department of Health and Physical Education of the Education University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with local sports associations including Hoops for Hope Basketball Asia, as well as the Club-supported “HKFYG Jockey Club Youth Sports Development Project”, which encourages young people to participate in sports, including basketball. The Club has also funded renovations at Southorn Stadium, including upgrading basketball facilities to enable it to host more high-level, large-scale and international competitions and events.