The Jockey Club’s two-day Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum concluded yesterday and the feedback I have received suggests it was considered a resounding success. It was great to meet so many local and overseas policy makers, with over 1,000 thought leaders and delegates exchanging strategic views as well as sharing their experiences in creating a better city and a better community.
I was also extremely delighted to share the stage with both Michael Phelps and Yao Ming in our final plenary session yesterday, titled “Sports and Cities: How can we use sports to improve well-being and achieve social good in cities?” Michael Phelps remains the most decorated Olympian of all time, having won 23 Olympic gold medals throughout his illustrious swimming career, while Yao Ming is the China’s most renowned basketball player, having starred in the NBA for the Houston Rockets. Yao is now President of the Chinese Basketball Association, taking up a leading role in driving the further development of the sport in China.
After retiring from their respective sporting careers, Michael and Yao both established their own foundations. They each adopted their expertise in swimming and basketball as a means to promote a healthy lifestyle to the masses, also assisting some talented young athletes in pursuing their dreams by fulfilling a career in their respective sports. They remain shining examples of how sports can benefit society and how it can forge bonds within and between communities.
I’m sure many delegates have taken some useful insights and experiences from these sessions and I look forward to meeting them in a similar forum again.
It has been 10 days since we last raced here in Hong Kong. Severe Typhoon Mangkhut struck with force last Sunday, bringing the city to a standstill as the No.10 signal – the highest possible warning – was raised. This forced us to cancel last Sunday’s race meeting at Sha Tin, with the safety of our participants and race fans of the utmost importance.
A number of trees were uprooted at both Sha Tin and Happy Valley and there was damage sustained at both tracks, but thanks to the great efforts of many colleagues at the Club, the repair works and safety checks were completed early in the week. This has allowed preparations to go ahead as normal for this afternoon’s race meeting at Sha Tin and I am looking forward to resuming our season today.
For the 10 races on the card, the Class 4 Fakei Cup at 1400 metres is the fifth race with 10 of the 14 runners making their first start of the season. A Beautiful is the likely leader in a race that lacks pace and is coming off a good try three weeks against similar company. He is a place chance given the expected slow tempo of the race.
Sam’s Love is a win and place chance as he drops back in grade with the benefit of a good preparation and some encouraging efforts over this track and distance. Pakistan Friend is the likely favourite in the race and is a place chance along with fellow ISG Impeccable Fellow. Both are going well and should have every chance from good draws and midfield runs.
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