Jockey Club submits recommendations for Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan to strengthen the city’s integration into and support for overall national development

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (“the Club”) today (16 July) made a formal submission to the HKSAR Government during the public consultation period on The First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) (“Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan”). Drawing on the Club’s expertise in equine sports, tourism, talent development, philanthropy and social innovation, the submission is organised under three themes - Equine Sports and Industry Hub; Sports Economy; and Social Betterment - to support economic growth, regional integration, people-to-people exchanges and social progress.

Jockey Club submits recommendations for Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan to strengthen the city’s integration into and support for overall national development.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club said that the Club, as a world-class horse sports organisation with a strong commitment to the country and Hong Kong, strongly welcomes the HKSAR Government’s initiative to formulate Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan under the framework of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. The Club sees this as a significant opportunity to strengthen Hong Kong’s integration into and support for overall national development while leveraging Hong Kong’s unique strengths to align with national needs and contribute to the country’s high-quality development.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club (left) submits a proposal for Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan to Janice Tse, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the HKSAR Government (right).

Theme 1 – Equine Sports and Industry Hub

The equine industry is an area where Hong Kong possesses internationally recognised strengths. Economic value is generated by industries linked to the Club’s operations, with world-class racing as the core. At the same time, the Club’s expertise in racing, veterinary science, biosecurity and event management is globally respected.

 Importantly, equine industry development has already been identified as a strategic economic driver under national and Greater Bay Area (“GBA”) planning frameworks. Hong Kong therefore has an opportunity to play a leading role in helping to develop a world-class equine industry ecosystem across the GBA and beyond.

There are three key recommendations under this theme

Image source:The Hong Kong Jockey Club

1)Establish the GBA as a leading international equine hub

- Fully leveraging the Club’s Conghua Racecourse (“CRC”) as a strategic platform for deeper Guangzhou-Hong Kong cooperation, CRC, together with Hong Kong’s two racecourses at Happy Valley and Sha Tin, will support the introduction of world-class racing and equine events across the GBA and position the GBA as a global equine industry hub.

- Propose expanding Hong Kong’s successful experience in equine biosecurity and disease-free zone management to other regions in the Chinese Mainland, such as Xinjiang, thereby enabling Hong Kong to utilise its expertise to play a key role in facilitating the country’s international exchanges with Belt & Road countries by way of horse sports and horse culture.

- Support the establishment of a World Organisation for Animal Health (“WOAH”) collaboration centre in Hong Kong to reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a regional centre for veterinary public health.

Image source:The Hong Kong Jockey Club

2) Advance institutional innovation and soft connectivity

- Recommend building on successful precedents arising from the Guangzhou Asian Games, Hangzhou Asian Games and National Games. Examples include recognition of Hong Kong- and overseas-registered veterinarians, streamlined arrangements for veterinary medicines, and enhanced regulatory cooperation.

- Enable institutional innovations and soft connectivity, such as expanding mutual recognition of vocational qualifications between Hong Kong and Guangdong; supporting apprenticeship pathways and talent mobility in the GBA; developing the Conghua International Racing Development Centre as an international equine import-export and quarantine hub.

Image source:The Hong Kong Jockey Club

3) Promote equine culture, tourism and talent development

- Recent data demonstrate the attractiveness of Hong Kong’s racing tourism. Tourist attendance at the Club’s racecourses increased substantially, and the future development of Conghua will further strengthen the "Two Cities, Three Racecourses" proposition.

- Recommend developing a multi-destination racing tourism offering linking Sha Tin, Happy Valley and Conghua, creating a distinctive racing tourism circuit for both Chinese Mainland and international visitors.

- Recommend strengthening promotion through government overseas and Chinese Mainland networks; enhancing cooperation with regions that have strong equine traditions such as Xinjiang; and supporting veterinary education and training initiatives in the GBA.

- Drawing on Hong Kong’s rapid advancement in veterinary education, Hong Kong is well positioned to play a more active role in supporting the upskilling of veterinarians in the Mainland. The Club has been collaborating with the City University of Hong Kong to explore the establishment of a veterinary clinical training centre in Shenzhen and Dongguan Campus to complement veterinary education with practical clinical training.

Image source:The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Theme 2 – Sports Economy

• The Club strongly supports the HKSAR Government’s vision of developing sport not only as a public good but also as an economic driver via a comprehensive sports development framework encompassing mass participation, elite excellence and sports industry development.

• Suggest leveraging mechanisms including the “M-Mark” system, “sports+ mega events”, and “sports+ tourism” initiatives to attract and develop internationally recognised sports IP and flagship events for Hong Kong.

• Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to serve as an international sports exchange platform. Through closer GBA collaboration, event co-hosting, talent exchange and resource sharing, Hong Kong can build a stronger and more integrated regional sports ecosystem.

• Hong Kong possesses world-class expertise in sports integrity and governance. The Club’s Racing Laboratory is internationally recognised. Hong Kong can also contribute valuable experience in integrity assurance, governance standards and dispute resolution to create tangible value in the sports economy.

Image source:The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Theme 3 – Social Betterment

• Hong Kong already possesses many attributes of an international financial centre. The Club believes it can also become Asia’s leading hub for philanthropy and social impact investment. In this connection, the Club recommends,

- To further develop and integrate Hong Kong’s burgeoning philanthropic sector as a catalytic turnkey for critical infrastructure projects such as in the Northern Metropolis University Town;

- Expanding the concept of "Finance+" to incorporate social impact investment and creating a robust ecosystem that channels capital into social outcomes;

- Establishing a dedicated impact capital coordination mechanism to strengthen policy alignment and unlock new funding sources for social development; and

- Promoting greater alignment of standards, rules and operating mechanisms within the GBA, including pilot cooperation through Nansha and support for Hong Kong NGOs operating across the boundary.

• These initiatives would further strengthen Hong Kong’s role as a “super connector” while supporting common prosperity and sustainable social development.

Image source:The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Submission by the Institute of Philanthropy (“IoP”)

• In addition, IoP, established by The Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust, also put forward proposals on national and international philanthropy. Its recommendations include,

1) Position Hong Kong as a philanthropic knowledge and convening hub, bringing together philanthropic sector stakeholders to exchange and advance best practices and to strengthen sector capabilities across Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and Asia.

2) Establish a joint taskforce with national counterparts to advance social impact measurement frameworks and standards.

3) Support the establishment of formal philanthropic exchange programmes with national counterparts, to exchange best practices in the governance and operation of philanthropic programmes.

4) Explore and support the development of new business models and financing solutions that create economic and social value in a sustainable way, generating innovative solutions to social issues.

The fifth edition of the PBC (“PBC 2026”) will take place at the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) from 7 to 8 September. The forum is convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in association with the Institute of Philanthropy (“IoP”). Marking a decade of convening the global philanthropic community, this year’s forum is themed “Leaping for Impact”, bringing together global leaders from the sports, philanthropic, academic, business, social and government sectors. Drawing inspiration from the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, alongside the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, PBC 2026 will explore how qualities essential to success in sport - discipline, focus, resilience and teamwork - can drive enduring, tangible social change.

Convened by the Club’s Charities Trust in association with the Institute of Philanthropy, the fifth PBC will be held at West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) on 7 and 8 September under the theme “Leaping for Impact”. This year marks the 10th anniversary of PBC.

Club Chief Executive Officer and IoP Director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said that this year’s theme – Leaping for Impact – takes inspiration from the world’s leading sports and top athletes. Given the urgent need to address pressing global social issues, and above all to create meaningful and long-lasting impact, PBC 2026 invites delegates to consider what philanthropy can learn from the values and success of these sporting champions.

Leading foundations participating in this year’s PBC include the Gates Foundation, The D. H. Chen Foundation, the Lee Hysan Foundation, the YAO Foundation, the Sanofi Foundation, the Tencent Charity Foundation, The Majurity Trust, Lien Foundation and the Essl Foundation. This year’s forum is expected to bring together over 80 eminent speakers, as well as more than 2,000 delegates, including over 350 from local, regional and global foundations. Distinguished speakers due to speak at the forum include:

Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Former United Nations Development Programme Administrator

 Hari Menon, President, Global Growth & Opportunity, Gates Foundation

Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Former United Nations Development Programme Administrator (photo ); and Hari Menon, President, Global Growth & Opportunity, Gates Foundation will be the keynote speakers at the fifth PBC.

In response to the evolving philanthropic landscape, PBC 2026 serves as an important platform for global philanthropic dialogue and collaboration. Throughout the two-day forum, thematic discussions will address a broad range of pressing social issues, including health, older adult well-being, urban poverty alleviation, heritage conservation, youth development, climate resilience, and inclusive employment. A series of sports-themed sessions will explore how the values and lessons of sport can be applied to philanthropy, leadership, organisational development and systems change. Through Impact Studios, Co-Learning Workshops and other extended programmes, the forum also seeks to connect ideas with practical implementation, while examining how social impact can be achieved on the ground.

In addition, the forum will feature major announcements. These include the launch of the first edition of the Club’s Charities Trust Impact Report, the release of the Interim Report of the Commission on Asian Philanthropy, as well as The Bridgespan Group’s report on high-impact family philanthropy.

Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Former United Nations Development Programme Administrator ; and Hari Menon, President, Global Growth & Opportunity, Gates Foundation (photo ) will be the keynote speakers at the fifth PBC.

Highlighting the transformative power of sports, culture and community inclusion, the forum’s Day 1 opening ceremony will feature a collaborative performance bringing together students from JC Project MuSE, wheelchair dancers from No Limits, and dancers living with Parkinson’s disease from the JC Dance Well Project. The performance will demonstrate how participation in Trust-supported initiatives fosters the personal growth, confidence and aspiration of young people and individuals from diverse backgrounds, while embracing Olympic and Paralympic values.

PBC 2026 is an invitation-only event. For more details on the forum agenda and speakers, please visit: https://www.pbcforum.hk.