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.
Seventy-year-old Mr Lau has been experiencing difficulty walking ever since he suffered a stroke last year. After having another stroke earlier this year, he is currently participating in the Pok Oi Hospital “Jockey Club Smart Geriatric Day Hospital Project”, which enables patients to undergo physiotherapy and occupational therapy at home or in their residential care homes for the elderly as part of their rehabilitation.
Making progress: Mr Lau does therapeutic exercises twice a day at the care home to accelerate his recovery after suffering from strokes last year and this year. Image source: www.news.gov.hk
“I do exercises in the morning and afternoon,” he said. “I am quite hardworking because I want to recover soon. I have made progress with some of the activities, such as the dressing exercise, which trains my hand to lift higher. I used to feel pain when moving my right hand, but now I do not.”
He was also enthusiastic about a hiking routine that has enhanced his mobility. “At first, I needed to rest partway through, but now I can complete the entire route at once.”
Greater convenience
The programme allows elderly residents to undergo rehabilitation in familiar surroundings without the need for lengthy and tiring hospital trips. Lydia Au, a manager at the care home where Mr Lau resides, said the initiative helps residents to stay active and engaged during recovery.
“With the tablet provided by the hospital, they can now do the exercises any time they want and complete them on their own, which builds their confidence and sense of achievement. The programme was launched after an assessment confirmed our care home environment was suitable.”
More convenient: Lydia Au, a manager at the care home where Mr Lau resides, explains that tele‑rehabilitation reduces the need for care home residents to undertake lengthy and tiring trips to hospital. Image source: www.news.gov.hk
Smart technologies
Pok Oi Hospital launched the “Jockey Club Smart Geriatric Day Hospital Project” with $14 million in funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, after being included on the Chief Executive’s Community Project List.
The funding supports the adoption of a smart training model that incorporates virtual reality, augmented reality and tele-rehabilitation technologies at the facility’s geriatric day hospital. The approach allows patients to train remotely without the need for frequent hospital visits.
Patients’ performance data are uploaded to a digital platform, enabling healthcare professionals to monitor progress and design personalised rehabilitation plans. Since the project was launched last year, approximately 350 patients have benefited, with the number of patients treated increasing by more than 20% year on year.
Accelerated recovery: Pok Oi Hospital Chief of Service of Department of Medicine & Geriatrics Dr Tony Chan believes the programme can improve various functions in elderly patients and restore their ability to carry out daily activities. Image source: www.news.gov.hk
Fewer visits
Pok Oi Hospital Chief of Service of Department of Medicine & Geriatrics Dr Tony Chan said the programme mainly benefits elderly patients who experience mobility issues after hospitalisation.
“Our target patients include those recovering from stroke, hip fracture or dementia because they all require very intensive training.”
Previously, patients would undergo on-site training twice weekly for eight weeks, for a total of 16 hospital sessions. Under the new arrangement, they now only need to visit the hospital once a week from the fifth week onwards.
“Through these exercises, we hope to help them improve their mobility and cardiopulmonary function, as well as restore their ability to carry out daily activities independently.”
To make rehabilitation more enjoyable, cultural elements have been integrated into the exercises. “For example, some games feature mahjong or cartoon backgrounds of the Big Buddha on Lantau Island and the Tsing Ma Bridge to make the training sessions more interesting and engaging for elderly participants.”
Performance analysis: Lingnan University School of Graduates Studies Senior Lecturer Chloe Siu says the smart training model achieves better results than traditional rehabilitation methods in several aspects. Image source: www.news.gov.hk
Positive results
To evaluate the programme’s effectiveness, Pok Oi Hospital has collaborated with Lingnan University on a comprehensive study. Explaining its findings, Lingnan University School of Graduates Studies Senior Lecturer Chloe Siu said innovative tele-rehabilitation training achieves better results than traditional methods in several aspects.
“Older adults who joined the six-metre walking test walked significantly faster than those undergoing conventional therapy,” she said. In occupational therapy, meanwhile, patients showed clear improvements in hand fine motor functions and cognitive functions, as well as Instrumental Activities of Daily Living.
Interactive technology: The virtual reality system simulates everyday situations, allowing patients to refamiliarise themselves with daily activities in a safe and controlled environment. Image source: www.news.gov.hk
