Ombudsman Launches Investigation into Management of and Access to LCSD Indoor Fitness Rooms

2026-10-13 15:30 Last Updated At：15:48

Ombudsman probes effectiveness of Leisure and Cultural Services Department's management of indoor fitness rooms

The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:

The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (October 13) announced the launch of a direct investigation operation to examine the effectiveness of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)'s management of indoor fitness rooms.

The National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly proposes to actively develop mass sports, extensively promote fitness activities for all and strengthen participation in fitness activities among young people, with a target of raising the proportion of the population regularly participating in physical exercise to approximately 40 per cent. The country will enhance the national fitness institutional system, and step up the planning and construction of venues and facilities in local communities. Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan also proposes to drive wider participation in sports, and promote sports in the community with the goal of enhancing the overall health of the public.

Currently, the LCSD operates a total of 87 indoor fitness rooms, generally located within sports centres across various districts. However, except for holders of relevant qualifications recognised by the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, members of the public who wish to register as a user of LCSD fitness rooms and hire fitness equipment must first attend a three-hour "Briefing on Proper Ways to Use Fitness Equipment" (Briefing Session) organised by the LCSD and then pass a written test, or complete its 12-hour "Fitness (Multi-gym) Training Course" (Training Course) with an attendance rate of at least 80 per cent. Between 2023 and 2025, the number of registered users of LCSD fitness rooms increased by 56 per cent from around 151 000 to 236 000, while the total number of user visits to fitness rooms per year increased by 50 per cent from around 4.852 million to 7.262 million.

A preliminary inquiry by the Office of The Ombudsman revealed a severe shortage of places for the Briefing Sessions and Training Courses organised by the LCSD. In 2025, the LCSD held around 1 000 Briefing Sessions throughout the year with a total of 25 000 places, but the total number of applications in the year was as many as 377 000. In the same year, the LCSD held around 2 500 Training Courses with a total of 58 500 places, but the total number of applications in the year reached 257 000. Unsuccessful applicants who cannot attend the Briefing Session or Training Course are not eligible to use the LCSD's fitness room facilities.

Mr Chan said, "Public recreation and sports facilities are of utmost importance to promoting participation in sports in the community. The high volume of applications for the LCSD's Briefing Sessions and Training Courses reflects keen public demand for use of fitness rooms. While the LCSD requires members of the public to either possess relevant qualifications or complete its fitness training before they can use its fitness rooms, no similar requirements are in place for other risky sports such as swimming. Furthermore, the supply of such training falls far short of demand. All these may be the biggest barrier for wider participation in the fitness sport and should be addressed and removed. The Office considers it necessary to review whether the qualification requirement for users still serves any practical need and whether a similar requirement is in place for public fitness rooms in the country and elsewhere."

Meanwhile, there are two types of hire charges for LCSD fitness rooms, i.e. an hourly ticket and a monthly ticket, the latter entitling the holder to unlimited use. In view of the higher demand by monthly ticket holders, most fitness rooms allocate a larger share of the quota to them. Starting from November 1, 2024, monthly ticket holders have been required to book fitness room facilities via SmartPLAY. In response to their calls for greater flexibility, the LCSD currently allows monthly ticket holders to cancel the booking via SmartPLAY up to one hour before the start of the booked session. The Office has received views that other members of the public can hardly proceed to the fitness room at such short notice, leading to wastage of the vacated place.

The Office also notes that the LCSD does not impose any penalties on monthly ticket holders for failing to take up a booked session. A monthly ticket holder who has made a booking but is absent need not take responsibility at all. Moreover, there is no cap on the number of sessions in fitness rooms that monthly ticket holders can book each day. Their actual use of the facilities is significantly less than the booked period. As a result, even though bookings are full, the actual number of users in the fitness rooms falls short of the number of hirers.

Mr Chan said, "LCSD fitness rooms are publicly funded and affordable. The facilities are scarce public resources and should be reasonably used. An appropriate balance should be struck between convenient booking and efficient use of limited public resources.

"With the promotion of fitness for all elevated to a national strategic level, the LCSD should proactively align with national development strategies by enhancing the mechanism for use of fitness rooms to foster broader participation in sports. In this light, I have decided to launch a direct investigation operation to examine the LCSD’s management of fitness rooms, including the mandatory training requirement prior to use of fitness rooms, the booking mechanism, the utilisation rate of fitness rooms, the LCSD’s monitoring measures and maintenance and repair of fitness equipment. Where necessary, pertinent recommendations will be made for improvement."

The Ombudsman welcomes views from members of the public on this topic. Written submissions should reach the Office of The Ombudsman by November 13:

Address: 30/F, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre

168–200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong

Fax: 2882 8149

Email: di496@ombudsman.hk

Hong Kong and Jiangsu Strengthen Cooperation for Global Business Expansion

FS continues visit to Nanjing

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, today (October 13) continued his visit to Nanjing with a delegation, meeting with Jiangsu provincial leaders and business representatives, attending a promotion conference on supporting enterprises in going global, and visiting a platform for the commercialisation of research outcomes. The visit seeks to deepen co-operation between Jiangsu and Hong Kong, and support Mainland enterprises in leveraging Hong Kong to expand their global business.

In the morning, Mr Chan attended a promotion conference on supporting Mainland enterprises in going global, themed "Jiangsu-Hong Kong Partnership: Setting Sail Together". In his address, he said that this year marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. Through closer co-operation, Jiangsu and Hong Kong can seize the opportunities arising from the country's pursuit of high-level opening up and translate them into tangible results for enterprises expanding into international markets. He encouraged Jiangsu enterprises to use Hong Kong as a base for their long-term development when planning their global operations.

Mr Chan noted that Jiangsu and Hong Kong enjoy a solid foundation of co-operation. Hong Kong is both Jiangsu's largest source of foreign investment and its largest destination for outward investment. As at the end of September this year, 129 Jiangsu enterprises were listed in Hong Kong, with a combined market capitalisation of about HK$1.44 trillion. He said that the two places have a sound basis for co-operation, with ample scope for further collaboration in innovation-driven development and expansion into international markets.

He said that Hong Kong's strengths extend beyond stock market listings and fundraising to its high concentration of international capital, financial institutions and professional talent. Last year, Hong Kong recorded 119 new listings, raising over HK$280 billion and ranking first globally in initial public offering fundraising. In the first nine months of this year, Hong Kong recorded over 110 new listings, raising more than HK$380 billion, more than double the amount raised in the same period last year. More than 70 of the world's top 100 banks operate in Hong Kong. Enterprises can connect with international investors and partners through Hong Kong, broadening their financing channels to support business development at different stages.

On talent and innovation and technology (I&T), Mr Chan said that Hong Kong's free, open and international environment helps enterprises attract research, engineering and management talent from the Mainland and overseas. Hong Kong has more than 50 international schools offering a diverse range of curricula. Together with its convenient transport network and vibrant lifestyle, these provide a favourable environment for talent and their families to settle and pursue long-term development in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is taking forward the development of the Northern Metropolis and university towns, bringing together quality education and research resources from Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas to foster the co-ordinated development of education, technology, talent and industries, and accelerate the commercialisation of research outcomes. He invited Jiangsu enterprises to visit Hong Kong and the Northern Metropolis to explore co-operation opportunities.

Mr Chan also pointed out that, in attracting enterprises and nurturing industries, the HKSAR Government looks not only at the scale of investment, but also at enterprises' technological capabilities, capacity for innovation, and long-term contributions to Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem and talent development. The Government is willing to explore investment co-operation with promising enterprises aligned with Hong Kong's future development priorities, and offer support in areas including land, taxation and other complementary measures. He expressed the hope of building long-term partnerships with Jiangsu enterprises and supporting more Mainland enterprises in becoming multinational corporations with global influence, bringing Chinese technologies, products and solutions to markets around the world.

Mr Chan also had breakfast with a group of young Jiangsu entrepreneurs in the morning, exchanging views on business development and co-operation opportunities between the two places. He also attended a sharing session with Hong Kong business people and enterprises in Jiangsu to learn about their business development in the province.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the National Regional Technology Transfer and Transformation Centre for Higher Education Institutions (Jiangsu) to learn about its work in promoting the transfer and commercialisation of university research outcomes, matching them with enterprises' needs, and fostering industry-academia-research collaboration. Focusing on areas including biomedicine, information and communications, and advanced materials, the centre provides support covering technology research and development, proof of concept and pilot testing. It promotes the deeper integration of technological and industrial innovation, helps nurture emerging and future industries, and advances the integrated development of education, technology and talent.

The delegation subsequently met with officials and representatives of Nanjing's Jiangbei New Area and the centre, as well as representatives of local industries and enterprises. They exchanged views on promoting two-way co-operation between Jiangsu and Hong Kong, and between Nanjing and Hong Kong, as well as establishing more regular mechanisms for I&T collaboration.

At the meeting, Mr Chan proposed strengthening two-way collaboration in three areas to deepen co-operation and deliver more concrete results. First, Jiangsu enterprises can make good use of Hong Kong's financing and treasury management platforms to support their international business expansion. Second, they can leverage Hong Kong's professional services to align with international standards, creating favourable conditions for their products and services to enter overseas markets. Third, enterprises can capitalise on Hong Kong's strengths in international data resources and talent to drive product and service innovation, and better respond to the evolving needs of international markets. He also encouraged the two places to strengthen connections among science and technology parks, universities, enterprises, investment institutions and the professional services sector, facilitate talent exchanges, and bring more promising research projects to fruition.

In the evening, Mr Chan called on the Governor of Jiangsu Province, Mr Liu Xiaotao. They exchanged views on deepening economic and trade co-operation between Jiangsu and Hong Kong, strengthening connections between innovation and industrial resources, and jointly supporting enterprises in expanding into overseas markets. Mr Chan said he looked forward to further broadening co-operation in youth development, talent and cultural exchanges, alongside economic, trade and I&T collaboration, to provide fresh impetus for the long-term partnership between Jiangsu and Hong Kong.

Mr Chan and the delegation will continue their visit to Nanjing tomorrow morning and depart for Hong Kong in the afternoon.

Ombudsman Launches Investigation into Management of and Access to LCSD Indoor Fitness Rooms

HK

Ombudsman Launches Investigation into Management of and Access to LCSD Indoor Fitness Rooms

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