Some of you may know that my son Kai arrived in Hong Kong last weekend and came to watch our races at Sha Tin on Sunday. As he has just completed his military service in Germany, I've not seen him for a long while. He's had a great time in Hong Kong in the past few days, and naturally I've taken him to some of my favourite restaurants. Like me, he really enjoys the great food on offer here in Hong Kong.
I would say my son is quite similar to how I was at the same age, as he's crazy about all kinds of sports. But I'm especially happy that he's also interested in horse racing, and that he intends to build a career in the sports sector. In fact, before he returns to Germany and start his sports management studies this summer, he will spend the next few months to watch more races, and learn more on how a large-scale sporting entertainment corporation like the Club, to be managed and operated in Hong Kong.
As a parent, I'm delighted that my son has shown an interest in racing since his childhood, and looks on it as a sport. I guess he developed his interest when he used to accompany me on visits to different racecourses and equine facilities in Germany, when I was working at the German horse racing and breeding governing body DVR before I came to Hong Kong. But actually, many parents in Germany and other countries in Europe also do the same, as they bring their young children to attend race meetings during weekends. Apart from enjoying the excitement of the racing, most of them view racecourses as being good places for family gatherings and for meeting friends.
The Hong Kong Racehorses' Owners Association has for many years expressed a similar viewpoint and urged us to allow our Owners to bring their children to the racecourse. We've decided to do so this season as we believe that it provides a good opportunity for parents to educate their children about the healthy aspects of sport, appreciate the skills and sportsmanship of the jockeys and horses involved, and instil them with an open mind and positive attitude towards racing.
I respect people can have different opinions. As a responsible parent, I'll make responsible decisions for the best interests of my children. This principle also extends to such things as what kind of games children can play. I think responsible parents have to make their own decisions, and be able to respect the choices others make. Freedom is what we treasure in Hong Kong.
Furthermore, the Club has a long-standing policy and commitment of not allowing minors to engage in betting, so underage gambling is not an issue here at all. We have also been prudent and implemented a number of special measures to ensure that these young family members cannot access any betting facilities in the racecourse.
Apart from visiting the racecourse, all our Owners and Club Members will be able to bring their children to our new Beijing Clubhouse, which is being formally opened tomorrow. I will leave for Beijing tomorrow morning and feel very excited about the day ahead, as it signals the first extension of our membership services outside Hong Kong. We've put a lot of effort into making this a stylish and sophisticated venue that blends modern elements with a traditional Chinese home setting, so as meet the business and leisure needs of all our members and their families while visiting Beijing.
But before I set off to Beijing for the opening ceremony, I will still attend tonight's races at Happy Valley. I will pay attention to the performances of Top Top Light and Take It Easy, as these two horses will start their races from Gate 1 and I hope to see a good partnership and performance of horse and jockey at the C+3 course tonight.
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