Pilot Scheme on Sports Dispute Resolution opens for online applications from today
The Department of Justice (DoJ)announced today (February 13) that the designated online platform for sports dispute resolution under the Pilot Scheme on Sports Dispute Resolution has been officially launched and is open for applications for mediation and arbitration of sports disputes starting from today.
The Pilot Scheme, as one of the initiatives under the Policy Address, will run for a period of two years. The Pilot Scheme aims to provide the sports sector with a fair, efficient and convenient mechanism for resolving sports disputes through mediation and arbitration. The DoJ officially launched the Pilot Scheme in December last year. Following an open invitation for joint proposals for the operation of the Pilot Scheme, the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre (AALCO-HKRAC) was selected to administer the Pilot Scheme, and the eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre to provide the technological infrastructure and online technical support required for the operation of the Pilot Scheme.
The Deputy Secretary for Justice and Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Sports Dispute Resolution, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, said that establishing a mechanism that is efficient, credible and dedicated to resolving sports disputes is an important foundation for advancing the development of the sports industry and enhancing the corporate governance of the sports sector.
Dr Cheung also expressed delight that the panels of mediators and arbitrators have been established under the Pilot Scheme. These panels comprise 53 mediators and 43 arbitrators from the local legal and sports sectors and 23 jurisdictions, including experts in international sports mediation and arbitration. He stated that the diverse pool of international dispute resolution talent will help Hong Kong develop into a regional and international sports dispute resolution hub, reinforcing Hong Kong's position as a leading centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.
The DoJ will collaborate with AALCO-HKRAC and other stakeholders to organise a series of promotional and capacity-building activities to advance the development of sports mediation and arbitration in Hong Kong.
For details of the Pilot Scheme, please visit AALCO-HKRAC's dedicated website.
Source: AI-found images
Hong Kong's trade in services statistics for 2024
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (February 13) the Hong Kong's trade in services (TIS) statistics for 2024, with detailed breakdowns by service component and by main destination/source.
Comparing 2024 with 2023, the value of total exports of services rose by 9.9% to $835.5 billion, and that of total imports of services increased by 12.9% to $698.1 billion. An invisible trade surplus at $137.4 billion, equivalent to 19.7% of the value of total imports of services, was recorded in 2024. This was smaller than the corresponding surplus of $141.6 billion in 2023, equivalent to 22.9% of the value of total imports of services in 2023.
Analysis by service component
Analysed by service component, transport was the largest component in exports of services, accounting for 32.0% of the value of total exports of services in 2024. This was followed by financial services (25.9%) and travel (21.0%).
As for imports of services, travel accounted for 31.9% of the value of total imports of services in 2024, followed by transport (22.1%) and other business services (15.1%).
Amongst various service components, the net exports of financial services contributed most significantly to the overall invisible trade surplus, at $145.8 billion in 2024. This was followed by transport ($112.6 billion) and other business services ($14.4 billion).
On the other hand, manufacturing services imported by Hong Kong in outward processing were substantial, resulting in a deficit of $89.3 billion in 2024. This was followed by travel ($47.5 billion) and charges for the use of intellectual property ($7.2 billion).
Analysis by main destination/source
Chinese Mainland and the United States of America (the USA) were the top two main destinations of exports of services of Hong Kong, accounting for 28.6% and 18.2% respectively of the value of total exports of services in 2024. They were followed by the United Kingdom (the UK) (9.1%), Singapore (5.4%) and Taiwan (4.5%).
Chinese Mainland and the USA were also the top two main sources of imports of services, accounting for 40.8% and 10.9% respectively of the value of total imports of services in 2024. They were followed by Japan (7.8%), the UK (7.5%) and Singapore (4.9%).
Analysed by region, Asia was the most important destination of the exports of services of Hong Kong, accounting for 52.8% of the value of total exports of services in 2024, followed by North America (20.2%) and Western Europe (20.0%).
For imports of services, Asia was also the most important source, accounting for 66.8% of the value of total imports of services in 2024, followed by Western Europe (15.8%) and North America (12.5%).
Further information
Table 1 presents exports, imports and net exports of services by service component in 2023 and 2024.
Table 2 presents exports of services by main destination and imports of services by main source in 2023 and 2024.
Table 3 presents exports, imports and net exports of services by region of destination/source in 2023 and 2024.
More detailed TIS statistics will be given in the report "Hong Kong Trade in Services Statistics in 2024". Users can browse and download this report at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020011&scode=240) as from end-February 2026.
The TIS statistics have incorporated the latest international recommendations given in the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010. For details, please refer to the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/scode240.html). They are compiled mainly based on data obtained from the Annual Survey of Imports and Exports of Services conducted by the C&SD, supplemented by data from other relevant sources. The TIS statistics for 2024 are subject to minor revision when more data from supplementary sources become available.
For enquiries about TIS statistics, please contact the Trade in Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7415; email: tis@censtatd.gov.hk).
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), Photo source: reference image
