Hong Kong Jockey Club Pledges Continued Sports Support After Donating Nearly HK$6.7 Billion Over Decade at Community Day

Over the years, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has consistently supported the advancement of the country’s sports development and the promotion of inclusivity in sports, encouraging people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to lead active and healthy lifestyles. In the last ten years alone, the Club’s Charities Trust has provided nearly HK$6.7 billion to support sports development at both elite and community levels.

The Hon Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism (3rd left); Lin Nan, 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 (2nd right); The Hon Martin Liao, Club Chairman (3rd right); Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Club Chief Executive Officer (2nd left); The Hon Kenneth Fok, Member of the Legislative Council (1st right), and George Tsoi, Commissioner for Sports (1st left) officiate at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Day.

Today, the Club stated that it will continue its efforts to advance sports development in Hong Kong. By bringing major sports events into the community and progressing towards professional and industry development, the Club aims to support the HKSAR Government’s efforts to promote sports in the community, support elite sports, maintain Hong Kong’s status as a centre for major international sports events, enhance professionalism and develop sports as an industry.

This year’s The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Day was held at Sha Tin Racecourse, attracting over 200 charity and community representatives. The ceremony was officiated by The Hon Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR Government; Lin Nan, 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; The Hon Martin Liao, Club Chairman; Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Club Chief Executive Officer; The Hon Kenneth Fok, Member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR; and George Tsoi, Commissioner for Sports of the HKSAR Government.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao said this year’s Community Day, featuring sports as its theme, aimed to showcase the Club’s contribution and strong commitment to sports development in Hong Kong.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao highlighted that horse racing is a symbol of the city’s prosperity and stability under One Country, Two Systems, and remains a highly popular sport, embodying Hong Kong’s “can-do” spirit. This year’s Community Day features sports as its theme, showcasing the Club’s contribution and strong commitment to sports development in Hong Kong. Through its unique integrated business model, the Club delivers world-class horse racing and responsible wagering, supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling, and generates economic and social value for Hong Kong through tax contributions, charity donations and employment opportunities for the betterment of society. In the last financial year, the Club contributed a total of HK$39.1 billion to society, including HK$9.0 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, with its Charities Trust among the biggest donors worldwide and the largest in Asia.

The Hon Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, noted that the Club has long been one of the Government’s most valued partners in the promotion of sports.

The Hon Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, emphasised the Government’s continued commitment to investing in and promoting sports development in Hong Kong. She noted that the Club has long been one of the Government’s most valued partners in the promotion of sports, from supporting the construction of the Hong Kong Sports Institute (formerly the Jubilee Sports Centre) in the late 1970s to its support for the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, as well as various “M” Mark events including the Hong Kong Sevens, which concludes today at Kai Tak Sports Park.

Officiating guests, Club Stewards and members of the Club’s Board of Management toast the success of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Day.

Going forward, the Club will continue to work alongside stakeholders to contribute to Hong Kong’s sports development blueprint. Leveraging major sports events as a platform, the Club will bring sports culture deeper into the community through continued support for multiple “M” Mark events as an Official Community Partner, enabling broader participation, including among underprivileged groups, to experience the appeal of sports and promote social inclusion. In parallel, new initiatives will continue to be introduced, such as this week’s “Racing with Rugby”, to further enhance the economic impact, international profile and benefits of sports development generated by major events in Hong Kong.

The Hon Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism (centre), together with The Hon Martin Liao, Club Chairman (left) and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Club Chief Executive Officer (right) in a group photo.

The Club will also actively foster a vibrant culture of community sports by developing iconic sports such as equestrian, football, basketball, golf and rugby, broadening the public’s exposure while deepening interest and sports literacy. These diverse activities and support programmes will help enhance youth resilience, improve physical and mental health, and strengthen social cohesion, thereby fostering positive values.

The Hon Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism (right), presents The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy to Alan Hu (left), owner of the winning horse Absolute Honour. The historic 170-year-old trophy was generously donated by the late Tobias Brown in recognition of the Club’s charitable contributions to the community.

To further strengthen the sports ecosystem and promote sustainable development, the Club will continue to enhance talent development, strengthen corporate governance and improve management capacity across sports organisations. These efforts will generate greater social impact, raise professional standards across the sector, and support the development of both elite and community sports. Through these initiatives, the Club aims to work closely with the HKSAR Government and partners across society to inject new momentum in local sports development and reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a world-class destination for sports, entertainment and tourism.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy presentation ceremony.

Sports development remains one of the Club’s key focus areas. The Club has long supported a wide range of sports initiatives to promote a healthier and more vibrant society. These include:

• The Trust-initiated and funded JC Fit City, which encourages citizens to incorporate sports and exercise into their daily lives to achieve the World Health Organization’s recommended weekly level of physical activity;

• JC Project MuSE, a school-based music (Mu) and sports (S) education (E) programme for primary school children in the most impoverished areas of Hong Kong;

• The Jockey Club HKFA Football Development Programme, which empowers people of all ages and abilities - including students, parents, coaches and seniors - to experience the joy of football;

• The Jockey Club Youth Football Academy Summit, which provides a platform for young footballers from different areas to learn, exchange views, and understand cultural differences.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (centre), together with JC Fit City participant Yui (right) and JC Fit City project partner representative Lily Tse (left) pose for a photo. Yui shared that the JC Fit City project helped him break the “sport-zero” habit and significantly improve his health.

The Club initiated the annual Community Day race meeting in 2005 as a way of honouring its successful partnerships with Government and community organisations for the betterment of society. This initiative followed the generous donation of a silver racing trophy, over 170 years old, by the late Tobias Brown, in recognition of the Club’s charitable contributions to the community. It has since been renamed The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy. It was won this year by Absolute Honour, ridden by Zac Purton. The Hon Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, presented the trophy to winning owner Alan Hu.

Young people are a vital force for societal progress. To enhance upward social mobility among youth, and in line with the goals set out in the Government’s Youth Development Blueprint, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust launched JC YUP in 2025 with a donation of over HK$440 million. The project’s innovative strategy provides targeted interventions at the three critical development junctures in young people’s transition from school to work. It supports young people in building a sense of pride, broadening their career horizons and laying a solid foundation for a positive career trajectory as they begin their working lives.

To highlight the proud moments of young people participating in the project, the “Say YUP! Proud Moment Showcase” was held today (17 July), bringing together students, school representatives and NGO partners to share their experiences, learning journeys from self-initiated challenges and achievements from the past year. Officiating at the opening ceremony were Edward Yau, JC YUP Advisory Committee Convenor; and Winnie Ying, Head of Charities (Education & Youth Cluster) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Edward Yau, JC YUP Advisory Committee Convenor (4th right), Winnie Ying, Head of Charities (Education & Youth Cluster) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club (3rd left) and other guests officiate at the “Say YUP! Proud Moment Showcase” opening ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Winnie Ying noted that nurturing children and youth in families is one of the priority areas of the Club’s charities strategy, and the Club supports a wide array of youth activities and services in the community. Through JC YUP, the Club hopes to provide targeted interventions at three critical stages of youth development and identify effective evidence-based approaches that enable community resources to be deployed in a more targeted manner and achieve sustainable impact.

Winnie Ying, Head of Charities (Education & Youth Cluster) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, shared at the “Say YUP! Proud Moment Showcase” opening ceremony.

This ultimately helps young people establish positive development trajectories and creates greater opportunities for upward mobility over the long term. She added that she hopes the unique proud moments created by young people through the project become a driving force in their growth journey. Also at the event, Edward Yau shared his personal experiences to encourage young people to build the confidence to challenge themselves and explore life’s limitless possibilities.

JC YUP is one of the five youth development initiatives supported by the Club's Charities Trust under a HK$1.4 billion commitment announced in celebration of the Club's 140th anniversary last year. Collaborating with 25 partners, including schools, NGOs, universities and the business sector, the five-year JC YUP project adopts an adaptive intervention design to provide individualised and timely support according to each young person’s development needs and trajectory, as well as the rapidly changing environment.

Students from JC YUP participating schools perform at the “Say YUP! Proud Moment Showcase” opening ceremony.

The first stage of the project enables Form 1 students to create “Proud Moments” through self-initiated challenges, which build confidence and a sense of pride. The second stage of the project provides different types of workplace experience for young people to understand multiple pathways and various future job roles. The third stage of the project is a two-year “Professional Traineeship” programme for young people entering the workforce, creating a new progression pathway connecting school and theworkplace. JC YUP is expected to pilot in 50 secondary schools and benefit 30,000 students. For more details, please visit: https://www.jcyup.hk/en

Students from JC YUP participating schools and NGO partners share their experiences and learning outcomes from the past year.

In addition to donations, the Club’s Human Resources Department supported the project by organising a one-week career exploration and internship programme last month for five Form 4 students from JC YUP participating schools. Hosted by various divisions across the Club, the students gained first-hand exposure to a wide range of functions, workplace environments and career pathways.

Group photo.

Over the years, the Club has initiated and supported a wide range of programmes that empower young people to realise their potential and contribute as active citizens. In addition to CLAP@JC, which has uplifted the professional standards and service quality of career and life development education and services, 21C@JC, which has transformed youth service in the digital era, and JC LevelMind, which provides “Always On” mental wellbeing support services, the Club has supported the HKSAR Government’s annual youthfest@HK since its launch three years ago, which features a wide range of activities designed to bring young people together and to inspire them to realise a hopeful future. The Club has also supported the HKSAR Government’s Strive and Rise Programme for over three consecutive years. The programme helps young people from underprivileged backgrounds broaden their horizons, strengthen their self-confidence and set goals for the future.

Five Form 4 students from JC YUP participating schools took part in a one-week career exploration and internship programme organised by the Club last month.

The Club’s support for JC YUP, 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.

Five Form 4 students from JC YUP participating schools took part in a one-week career exploration and internship programme organised by the Club last month.