One City; Two Passions. This April, a landmark partnership between The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) and the Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC) will unite Hong Kong’s two greatest sporting passions – horse racing and rugby – for the very first time, showcasing our city’s world-class sport and entertainment and strong community spirit.
Racing and rugby, two iconic sports, have been rooted in Hong Kong for over 100 years. Their success on the international stage has brought pride to our city and attracted fans and tourists from all over the world. “Racing with Rugby” offers the unique opportunity to experience Hong Kong’s two world-class sports in one epic celebration, reinforcing our city’s position as Asia’s events capital.
Racing with Rugby” – Jockey Club celebrates Hong Kong’s two iconic sports.
Tailor-made ticket packages are available at Klook for“Racing with Rugby” experiences at both Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses. Ticketing details: https://www.klook.com/zh-HK/activity/97423-cathay-pacific-hsbc-hong-kong-sevens/?spm=LanguageCurrencySelectionPopup.SelectLanguage&clickId=f030ea73d9 (choose “Combo deals” under Package options)
“Racing with Rugby” highlights include:
Launch of “Racing with Rugby” and Announcement of the Hong Kong China Rugby Sevens Team (Sha Tin Racecourse, Sunday 12 April). “Racing with Rugby” will be launched at a special ceremony in the Parade Ring at Sha Tin Racecourse. A highlight will be the announcement of the line up for the Hong Kong China Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens teams. This will be followed by a thrilling day of horse racing and entertainment, with opportunities to meet and greet rugby stars. Book a “Genso Fudo Town package offer” (while stocks last) to meet the Hong Kong China Rugby players and to join interactive games for a chance to win a special edition signed horse plush! Booking website: https://bit.ly/4d6S4Jw
Rugby-themed Happy Wednesday (Happy Valley Racecourse, Wednesday 15 April). For the first time, Happy Wednesday’s legendary race night party will celebrate rugby week, coinciding with the HKFC 10s, the world’s premier ten-a-side competition held at HKFC in Happy Valley from 14 - 16 April. Sports fans will be able to enjoy a day of top-class rugby before heading over to the racecourse for Hong Kong’s world-famous night races in the heart of the city. Famous singer Jason Donovan and music group BABBA will bring spectacular racecourse entertainment.
Pre-sale of Team Hong Kong, China jerseys and rugby-themed merchandise. Ahead of the Hong Kong Sevens, racing and rugby fans will be able to purchase Hong Kong, China jerseys and rugby merchandise at specific locations in Sha Tin Racecourse on 12 April and Happy Valley Racecourse on 15 April (while stocks last).
Community engagement. Building on its long-running role as the Official Community Partner of the Hong Kong Sevens, the HKJC is extending this commitment to the HKFC 10s this year. The HKJC Volunteer Team will host a booth in the fan village of the Hong Kong Sevens (17-19 April) at Kai Tak Stadium and at the HKFC 10s (14–16 April) at the Hong Kong Football Club, offering sports and interactive activities. The HKJC has expanded its booth at the Hong Kong Sevens this year, where its Volunteer Team will deliver live band performances on stage. As always, the HKJC is supporting outreach programmes and youth rugby competitions and providing tickets to students, the elderly and the underprivileged so they can experience the thrill of rugby both on and off the pitch.
For more event information, please visit the Club’s website and Instagram pages.
- Racecourse Events: https://entertainment.hkjc.com/zh-hk/index
- Happy Wednesday: https://happywednesday.hkjc.com/zhHK/parties/S2526RacingWithRugby/
- IG @hkjcentertainment: https://www.instagram.com/HKJCEntertainment
- IG @hkjcracingsports: https://www.instagram.com/hkjcracingsports/
- IG @hkjc_community: https://www.instagram.com/hkjc_community/
Over the years, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has promoted sports at both community and elite levels through numerous initiatives, enabling people of all ages and abilities to enjoy sports. The support for community sports, sports development and participation, 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.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) and the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau (GZCRTTB) today (17 March) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the unique racing tourism concept of “Two Cities, Three Racecourses”, namely Happy Valley Racecourse and Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong and Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou. The aim is to support Guangzhou as a world-class tourism city and to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s events capital.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park by Ronald Chan, Club Head of Mainland Affairs, and Li Ruolan, Party Group Member and Chief Engineer of the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau. It was witnessed by C Y Leung, Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Sun Zhiyang, Mayor of the Guangzhou Municipal Government; Lyu Feng, Deputy Director of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR; Zhu Wei, Executive Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Greater Bay Area Office; Liu Yumei, Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau; and Raymond Tam, Club Executive Director, Corporate Affairs.
Jockey Club collaborates with Guangzhou Municipal Government to promote horse-themed culture, sports and tourism in the Greater Bay Area.
The Club is a world-class horse sports and entertainment organisation that acts continuously for the betterment of our society and with a strong commitment to the nation and to Hong Kong. Leveraging the institutional advantages of “One Country, Two Systems” and the policy guidelines for integration within the GBA, the Club promotes collaboration within the equine industry chain, supports culture, sports and tourism in the region, and contributes to regional economic development. An important highlight will be the launch in October of international-standard racing and a series of culture, sports and tourism events at Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou. This will be a significant milestone for the Club’s support for national equine industry development in the GBA and beyond.
In the Memorandum of Understanding, the Club and GZCRTTB agree to jointly promote horse-themed culture, sports and tourism in the GBA utilising the advantages of “Two Cities, Three Racecourses”. Specifically, they will collaborate in four areas:
1. Policy support: GZCRTTB supports the inclusion of racing tourism in Guangdong-Hong Kong or Guangzhou-Hong Kong collaborative initiatives in culture, sports and tourism, as well as the positioning of Conghua Racecourse as a world-class integrated destination for horse-themed culture, sports and tourism. It also supports the Club in leveraging “Two Cities, Three Racecourses” to promote tourism in Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
2. Promotion and publicity: Apart from strengthening online and offline promotions, both sides will jointly explore video production and promotion of world-class racing events at Conghua Racecourse. They will also organise large-scale promotional activities on horse culture and equine sports to enhance the visibility and influence of the GBA as a world-class sports tourism destination. In addition, GZCRTTB will support the Club via major tourism exhibitions in Guangzhou to promote racing tourism.
3. Racing tourism product design: GZCRTTB will encourage leading tourism enterprises to collaborate with the Club, focusing on horse-themed cultural, sports and tourism activities at Conghua Racecourse and launching “one-trip multi-stop” tourism products to link up the Club’s racecourses in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. To appeal to high-end domestic and international business traveller groups, racing tourism will be positioned as a distinctive highlight of business tourism in the GBA.
4. Industry support: The Club will collaborate with relevant media organisations and institutions in Guangzhou to enhance talent cultivation with a focus on equine sports events and horse culture promotion.
Jockey Club collaborates with Guangzhou Municipal Government to promote horse-themed culture, sports and tourism in the Greater Bay Area.
Conghua Racecourse is a paradigm of Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation, and has received strong support from the Chinese Mainland authorities at different levels and the HKSAR Government. Its ability to take forward “Three Innovations” (namely, institutional innovation, technological innovation, and industry innovation) has allowed the racecourse to stand as not only a world-class racehorse training facility but also a core engine, co-created by the Club and Guangzhou, for equine industry growth. The innovations include seamless cross-border horse movement and quarantine and permission for Hong Kong or overseas veterinarians to practice at the Conghua Racecourse. In addition, green building technologies have been utilised for the construction of the grandstand while brand-new retail, dining, and interactive experiences will provide a platform for showcasing world-class horse racing, equine sports and horse culture.
In response to the National Equine Industry Development Plan promulgated by the General Administration of Sport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Club signed a framework cooperation agreement with the Guangzhou Municipal Government in 2021. It aims to jointly promote Guangzhou-Hong Kong Equine Industry Collaboration, with the Club’s Conghua Racecourse being a key driving force. At the same time, the Club actively supports the HKSAR Government’s racing tourism policy, leveraging the racing and entertainment experiences offered by its two racecourses in Hong Kong to support the events and tourism economy development in the city.
