Club gives football fans a real kick by opening up racecourse

The Happy Valley Racecourse will be opened up tomorrow free for the public to watch the football match between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan for bronze honors at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The Jockey Club will broadcast the match, scheduled to start at 4 pm, but the racecourse will be opened up an hour earlier free of any age restrictions, with snacks and drinks stalls to be on site.

Seating will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

"The Hong Kong men's football team has advanced solidly in the Asian Games to achieve their best-ever performance in an edition of the Asiad. Let's cheer for the Hong Kong team and hope our players score a historic win," the club said.

The news came as squash player Chan Sin-yuk was unable to overcome Malaysia's Subramaniam Sivasangari and had to settle for a silver in the women's singles after a five-game thriller.

Chan led by four points at one stage in the final game, but failed to capitalize on the lead, sending the match into a deuce.

She hit the ball out of bounds with her last shot to succumb to Sivasangari 12-10.

Chan said her emotions were affected by the referees' decision as they ruled two consecutive points for her opponent while she was leading in the final game.

"I was not positive enough during the match and ultimately my opponent successfully snatched a comeback win. Of course, I am disappointed not to bag a gold medal, but losing does not mean I performed poorly," Chan said.

"I thought I performed well, but I wasn't as experienced as my opponent, as I could not predict the referees' judgment. I will learn the lesson and improve myself into the next competition," she added.

The squash team's stint has ended with a total of two silvers and four bronzes.

In karate, both Chris Cheng Tsz-man and Olympic medalist Grace Lau Mo-sheung won bronze in the men's individual and women's Kata event.

Cheng said he was grateful for the opportunity to show his moves.

"But this should be my last individual competition. I would also like to thank myself for not giving up, and my wife for her invaluable support," he added.

Lau, a Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, said she had made improvements since a competition in Ireland last month and that her coach was also satisfied.