$300m allocated to support sports, culture and arts events

Eunice Lam

Over HK$300 million has been allocated by the government to support sports, culture, and arts mega-events - HK$198 million being specifically set aside for the "M" Mark brand - making the highest funding amount in five years.

The Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau has also announced plans to use HK$200 million to host international sports events next year.

According to a bureau document submitted to the Legislative Council finance committee, over HK$300 million was disbursed through the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund and the "M" Mark System in the 2023/24 financial year.

The "M" Mark System alone disbursed HK$198 million to 18 events to hit a record high. These events attracted a total of 640,000 participants.

The bureau has also allocated some HK$200 million to finance more than 20 large-scale international sports events supported by the "M" Mark System in the current year.

These events are expected to engage around 500,000 people. Applications related to four events, including 3x3 basketball, lacrosse, baseball, and Taekwondo, have been approved.

"We are committed to reviewing and improving the "M" Mark System in order to encourage national sports associations and other private or non-government organizations to organize more large-scale international sports events in Hong Kong," the bureau said.

At a special meeting of the Legislation Council finance committee, Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung reported that as of last month, the Mega ACE Fund had approved 15 applications, 12 of which have been completed or are currently underway. The completed events attracted a total attendance of over 1.14 million people.

For the past five years, a total of 34 events have been awarded the "M" Mark status, including the Hong Kong Marathon which saw approximately 140,000 participants.

Lawmaker Dominic Lee Tsz-king asked about the Inter Miami CF exhibition match that took place in Hong Kong in February. The event's organizer, Tatler Asia, was initially awarded the "M" Mark status along with a matching grant of HK$15 million and a venue grant of HK$1 million.

Tatler later withdrew its application for the "M" Mark status after Lionel Messi, the Argentine football star, did not participate in the match.

In its reply to Lee, the bureau said: "The Vetting Panel under the Major Sports Events Committee held a meeting in December of the previous year to review three applications, including Tatler's. After an hour of vetting, the exhibition match application received a qualifying score of 80 out of 100."

Also, during the Chinese Culture Festival 2024 program parade, Yeung announced that the festival will take place between June and September. Starting today, tickets for some 30 programs will be available for sale on the ticketing site URBTIX.

Yeung said the annual Chinese Culture Festival serves as the first major branding project of the Chinese Culture Promotion Office established earlier in the month. The festival is expected to attract an audience of around 100,000 people.

This year's festival will focus on Shanghai and Peking opera troupes. Chinese orchestras and museums from Shanghai will participate in the event.