Jockey Club supports century-old Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade

The annual Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade took place today (19 June), attracting hundreds of visitors and residents to celebrate one of the city’s unique traditions. Originating more than a century ago as a way to ward off plague and purify the community, the Water Parade is inscribed on the third National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has supported it since 2012, helping to preserve and promote a cherished local tradition.

Guests fire the ceremonial cannon at the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade.

The opening ceremony was held at the Tai O Promenade, officiated by David Lam, Acting Secretary for Development of the HKSAR Government; Anita Fung, Club Steward; Wu Jiahao, Deputy Director of New Territories Work Department, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Ryerson Ip, Assistant District Officer (Islands) of the Islands District Office of the HKSAR Government; Judith Ng, Head of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the HKSAR Government and Fan Sum-kee, Chairman of the Joint Association of Traditional Dragon-Boats in Tai O.

David Lam, Acting Secretary for Development of the HKSAR Government (3rd right); Anita Fung, Club Steward (3rd left); Wu Jiahao, Deputy Director of New Territories Work Department, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR (2nd right); Ryerson Ip, Assistant District Officer (Islands) of the Islands District Office of the HKSAR Government (2nd left); Judith Ng, Head of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the HKSAR Government (1st left) and Fan Sum-kee, Chairman of the Joint Association of Traditional Dragon-Boats in Tai O (1st right) at the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade.

Club Steward Anita Fung said that the Trust’s support for the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade has helped to maintain an important piece of national intangible cultural heritage as well as enabling the younger generation to appreciate its cultural significance. This year, three traditional dragon boats supported by the Trust made their debut, injecting new vitality into this century-old tradition.

Club Steward Anita Fung delivers a speech at the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade.

Club Steward Anita Fung (right) presents souvenirs to participating organisations.

Since the inscription of the Water Parade onto the Third National List of ICH more than a decade ago, the Trust has donated over HK$9.5 million to support the event, including funding the construction of dragon boats, programme arrangements, manpower support and educational programmes. This year’s event brought together over 320 dragon boat paddlers and 160 volunteers and attracted hundreds of visitors. In addition to the Water Parade, educational activities helped deepen public understanding of its heritage and encourage younger generations to participate.

Three traditional dragon boats supported by the Club made their debut.

The Trust has long supported the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, encouraging public and youth participation through a diverse range of initiatives. In addition to the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade, this includes the current Hong Kong ICH Month, as well as other local traditional events on the national heritage list: the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance and the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival. Since 2010, the Trust has donated over HK$167 million to support these ICH events and related educational programmes. These initiatives align with the HKSAR Government’s Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0 and the National 15th Five-Year Plan, as different sectors of society work together to contribute to the country’s development.

Highlights of the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade.

The Club’s support for the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade, 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.

Highlights of the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade.

Hong Kong becomes the first market outside FIFA World Cup 2026™️ host cities to showcase Lenovo technologies inspired by its role as FIFA's Official Technology Partner, with Sir David Beckham joining the launch at Happy Valley Racecourse race meeting.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (1st right), Executive Director, Racing, Andrew Harding (1st left) and Executive Director, Sports Business, Casper Stylsvig (2nd left) tour football legend Sir David Beckham (2nd right) and Ken Wong, Executive Vice President of Lenovo, President of Lenovo’s Solutions & Services Group (centre) round Happy Valley Racecourse.

Lenovo, Official Technology Partner of FIFA World Cup 2026™️, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) have joined forces to bring an AI-powered football experience to Hong Kong fans, launched at Happy Valley Racecourse on 10 June 2026. Marking the first showcase of Lenovo's FIFA World Cup-inspired fan experiences outside the tournament's host cities, the activation was launched with the first visit to a Hong Kong racecourse of Lenovo global ambassador Sir David Beckham, bringing together two globally recognized brands with the aim of enhancing sports entertainment and fan engagement.

Lenovo global ambassador Sir David Beckham inside the "Lenovo Experience Booth". Hong Kong is the first market outside FIFA World Cup 2026™️ host cities to showcase Lenovo's AI-powered football fan experiences.

As the Official Technology Partner of FIFA, Lenovo is helping power FIFA World Cup 2026™️ through end-to-end technology solutions across devices, infrastructure and AI solutions designed to enhance tournament operations, accelerate content creation, power player and team insights, and deliver more engaging digital experiences for fans around the world. In Hong Kong, sports fans get to use versions of that same technology themselves rather than just read about it.

The activation marks the on-ground kick-off of Lenovo as the strategic partner of the Club’s “Racing with Football” campaign. Sir David Beckham joined top management of Lenovo and the Club to unveil the immersive AI football zone “Lenovo Experience Booth” at Happy Valley Racecourse, where he also got a taste of the signature vibrancy of Hong Kong’s horse racing for the first time.

Football legend Sir David Beckham (centre), The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (3rd left), Executive Director, Racing, Andrew Harding (2nd left) and Executive Director, Sports Business, Casper Stylsvig (1st left), Ken Wong, Executive Vice President of Lenovo, President of Lenovo’s Solutions & Services Group (3rd right), Serena Cheung, General Manager, Lenovo Hong Kong and Macau (2nd right), and Tom Cheng, General Manager of Lenovo’s Solutions and Services Group (HK) (1st right), unveil the Lenovo Experience Booth while attending the “Racing with Football” series at Happy Valley Racecourse.

Sir David Beckham's appearance is part of Lenovo's global partnership with him, which centers on how AI and data can change the game for players, teams and fans. Through the Lenovo Experience Booth, fans can experience how Lenovo’s technologies are helping make football more immersive, more personalized and more connected.

Football legend Sir David Beckham (centre), The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (3rd left), Executive Director, Racing, Andrew Harding (2nd left) and Executive Director, Sports Business, Casper Stylsvig (1st left), Ken Wong, Executive Vice President of Lenovo, President of Lenovo’s Solutions & Services Group (3rd right), Serena Cheung, General Manager, Lenovo Hong Kong and Macau (2nd right), and Tom Cheng, General Manager of Lenovo’s Solutions and Services Group (HK) (1st right), unveil the Lenovo Experience Booth while attending the “Racing with Football” series at Happy Valley Racecourse.

Ken Wong, Executive Vice President of Lenovo, President of Lenovo’s Solutions & Services Group, said: “FIFA World Cup 2026™️ is one of the most demanding technology environments in the world, where every system and insight needs to work at global scale. Lenovo’s AI solutions are powering that experience, from operations and content delivery to data-driven insights and fan engagement. The real value of that work is in making the same capabilities available to far more people. Through our collaboration with the Club, we are putting this technology directly in the hands of Hong Kong fans and showing how it can democratize the game and create more meaningful experiences for the local community.”

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Club, remarked: “The Club’s Home of Football campaign and Racing with Football series bring Hong Kong’s two favourite sports together. Connecting more than 17,000 racing fans with world-class sports and stars, last night’s race meeting saw a true crossover of racing with football, enabling fans to experience the magic when world-class sport meets top-class entertainment. With this superb beginning, the Club will continue to broaden its reach as an international sports entertainment business, showcasing Hong Kong as a hub for global exchange, connectivity and tourism, with the ultimate aim of creating more value for the community.”

Lenovo Experience Booth Highlights

Available on-course on 24 June and 8 July, fans can continue to experience the football-themed technologies reflecting Lenovo’s role in supporting the FIFA World Cup 2026™️:

• Hologram: An AI-powered David Beckham hologram that fans can interact with.
• AI Avatar: A customizable experience that lets fans create and share their own digital identities.
• FIFA Creative Studio: From final whistle to shareable highlight in 15 minutes. Lenovo's AI content tool produces three formats at once ready for broadcast, social and mobile, at World Cup speed and scale.
• FIFA AI Pro: The AI knowledge assistant serving all 48 teams at FIFA World Cup 2026™️, built on Lenovo's AI Factory, analyzing over 2,000 match metrics to deliver rapid performance insights.