The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) opened today (28 February) with continued support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, a partnership that dates back to the Festival’s launch over five decades ago. The opening ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with officiating guests including HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee; Deputy Director General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Li Shuguang; HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law; HKSAR Government Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Manda Chan; Club Chairman Michael Lee; HKAF Chairman Lo Kingman and HKAF Executive Director Flora Yu.
HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee (front row, centre), Deputy Director General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Li Shuguang (front row, 2nd left), HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (front row, 2nd right), HKSAR Government Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Manda Chan (front row, 1st left), Club Chairman Michael Lee (front row, 3rd left), HKAF Chairman Lo Kingman (front row, 3rd right), HKAF Executive Director Flora Yu (front row, 1st right) and other guests officiate at the opening ceremony of the 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival.
As a long-term partner of the HKAF, the Club has supported the highly-regarded arts festival in presenting three pillar programmes under The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series each year since 2008. This year, the series features the Festival’s opening performance by Italy’s Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by world-renowned maestro Donato Renzetti. It also includes La Sylphide, an enchanting fairy tale performed by the Czech National Ballet, and the world’s most enduring romantic opera, Bizet’s Carmen.
Furthermore, the Club’s Charities Trust is the sole sponsor of the world premiere of the Putonghua adaptation of Jules Verne’s timeless sci-fi classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,part of the newly launched Jockey Club East-meets-West Series. This world stage play’s Putonghua adaptation, commissioned by the HKAF, will see masterminds from France collaborate with top-notch Chinese theatre artists to create a new rendition of the literary classic.
Each year The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series brings world-class performances to the city,which this year includes the 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival’s opening performance by Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Photo credit: © Casalucci Ranzi).
To encourage local students from varied backgrounds to appreciate top-class artistic performances, the Club has long supported The Hong Kong Jockey Club Student Matinee Programme, which enables them to enjoy free performances. This year, the programme includes Beethoven Wars: A Battle for Peace, performed by the Insula orchestra and accentus.A guided talk will be provided for students before the performance, to enhance their understanding of the shows and theatre etiquette, as well as their capacity for arts appreciation.
The Club is also delighted to support the Jockey Club InnoArts Series with the aim to promote the convergence of art and technology. This year, the series features No Reality Now — an immersive theatre experience that combines dance with virtual reality (VR) technology. Audience members can switch between the live performance on stage and the augmented version using a VR headset that can be worn or removed at any time.
The TWGHs “iRun” – The Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon 2026 (iRun) took place today (11 January) along the Central and Western District Promenade and Lung Wo Road. This year, the event, supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, saw a record turnout of over 5,500 runners of varying abilities and their pair-up partners joined the fun while promoting social inclusion.
Over 5,500 runners, including participants of varying abilities and their pair-up partners, participated in iRun 2026 to promote social inclusion within the community.
Among the officiating guests cheering on the runners were HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun, Club Steward Philip Lo and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals the 1st Vice-Chairman York Tseng.
HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun (3rd left), Club Steward Philip Lo (3rd right) and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals the 1st Vice-Chairman York Tseng (2nd left) officiate at the TWGHs “iRun” – Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon 2026.
Club Steward Philip Lo (centre) receives a souvenir from HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun (left), accompanied by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals the 4th Vice-Chairman cum Chairman of Community Services Committee Jason Lee (right).
HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun (centre), Club Steward Philip Lo (right) and iRun ambassador So Wa-wai (left).
Speaking at the ceremony, Club Steward Philip Lo emphasised that the significance of iRun extends beyond a single day of competition. The initiative provides diverse support to improve participants’ physical health and foster social inclusion. The Club has always placed great emphasis on the community’s needs, with “Health” being one of the strategic priorities of its Charity’s Trust. It consistently supports various organisations, including the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs), to launch initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles and enhance citizens’ overall quality of life.
Club Steward Philip Lo delivers a speech at the starting ceremony of the TWGHs “iRun” – Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon 2026.
Organised by TWGHs and supported by the Trust since 2012, iRun aims to give people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to experience the joy of sports and become more involved with the community.
A member of the CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team and runner pose for a photo.
This year’s event welcomed participants not only from Hong Kong but also Beijing, Guangdong Province and Macau. Runners with intellectual disabilities were paired with volunteers in a 3km challenge race, with pre-race training sessions arranged to help pairs get to know each other. The winning teams will receive sponsorship to participate in marathons outside Hong Kong, broadening their horizons and boosting their self-esteem.
Club Steward Philip Lo with CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members and runners.
This year, the event once again hosted the 1km “iRun for Family”, giving children aged six to 11 with intellectual disabilities and their families the chance to enjoy sporting fun together. To further promote social inclusion, a new “1km iRun Group” race was introduced to include participants with disabilities such as visually impairment, hearing impairment or those undergoing mental rehabilitation. About 800 volunteers, including members of the Club’s CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team, participated as pair-up runners or helpers to share the joy of running.
CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members and runners receive the trophy for the Corporate Social Inclusion Tournament.
Additionally, the “i-Runners’ Club” provides regular training for participants under the guidance of professional coaches, while “Green Marathon” elements remain integral to the event to encourage waste reduction and recycling, and advocate for environmental awareness.
The Club’s support for iRun, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.
Club Steward Philip Lo with CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members and runners.
