Jockey Club supports pioneering “Picasso for Asia—A Conversation” exhibition to launch French May Arts Festival

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is delighted to support the French May Arts Festival for the 14th straight year, with the Club’s Charities Trust serving as Major Partner once again.This year’s festival will run from March to July and feature a wide range of arts programmes and educational initiatives. The festival’s opening programme, and a key highlight, is The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation exhibition. It will be on view from 15 March to 13 July at M+ West Gallery and is co-organised by M+ and the Musée national Picasso-Paris, with the Club serving as title sponsor. It’s among celebratory activities to mark the Club’s 140th anniversary.

The exhibition’s opening ceremony was held at M+ West Gallery today (13 March).Attending officials included HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law; Club Steward Nicholas Hunsworth; Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau Christile Drulhe; Chairman of the Board of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Henry Tang; Chairman of the M+ Board Bernard Chan; Chief Executive Officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Betty Fung; Museum Director of M+ Suhanya Raffel; President of the Musée national Picasso-Paris Cécile Debray; and Co chairman of the Board of French May Arts Festival Mignonne Cheng and Pansy Ho.

Officiating at the opening ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation exhibition were HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (2nd left); Club Steward Nicholas Hunsworth (1st left); Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau Christile Drulhe (1st right); and Chairman of the Board of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Henry Tang (2nd right).

Sports and Culture is one of the priority funding areas for the Club’s Charities Trust.Speaking at the ceremony, Club Steward Nicholas Hunsworth remarked that the Club is dedicated to fostering arts and cultural development in Hong Kong. This aligns with the Central Government’s vision of developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan. The Club is supporting the festival’s arts education programmes as part of its commitment to make the arts accessible to all, thereby enriching local cultural development.

Club Steward Nicholas Hunsworth delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation is the first major exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s work in Hong Kong for more than a decade. It showcases over 60 masterpieces by the Spanish artist from the Musée national Picasso-Paris alongside around 130 pieces by contemporary Asian and Asian-diasporic artists from the M+ Collections. It’s the first time masterpieces from the Musée national Picasso-Paris are shown in dialogue with a museum collection in Asia.

Installation view of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation,2025.Image courtesy of M+, Hong Kong

The Club’s Charities Trust is supporting other programmes at the French May Arts Festival under its theme of “Vive L’art” including French Rendezvous@Tai Kwun. The world renowned French troupe Remue Ménage will present a street parade entitled Le Bal at Tai Kwun’s Parade Ground that marries visual arts, circus, dance and puppetry art. For the duration of Remue Ménage’s stay, a series of workshops will be held for local artists,parents and their children together with an artist-in-residence programme to promote cultural exchange and collaboration between French and local performers.

Installation view of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation,2025.Image courtesy of M+, Hong Kong

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.