Very early in the week, the Hong Kong Observatory alerted the public to the huge threat posed by super typhoon Mangkhut this weekend. We have closely communicated with the Observatory over the past few days as this severe storm has edged closer to Hong Kong.
Considering the forecasted deteriorating weather conditions, and more importantly, the safety of our racehorses, jockeys, Club staff and racegoers, we decided to call off the race meeting originally scheduled for Sha Tin tomorrow.
In fact, we had explored the possibility of activating our contingency meeting next Wednesday. But with the short notice of time, the need to get approval from multiple government departments, and the uncertainty of potential damage could be caused by the typhoon, we decided to seek Government approval to activate the next contingency date, 29 December at Sha Tin, as the replacement meeting.
Although we will not be racing tomorrow, and despite another racing break scheduled for this week, it will still be an eventful week for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. As the largest charitable contributor in Hong Kong, the Club will host an important symposium in Hong Kong next week – the 2018 Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre next Thursday and Friday.
The forum will be the first of its kind in Asia to focus on metropolitan social issues. More than 60 keynote speakers, including Nobel laureate Professor James Heckman from the US as well as Nobel Peace Prize Professor Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh, will share their views and ideas on different philanthropic themes with over 1,000 delegates attending the various plenary sessions.
I particularly look forward to joining two of the world’s greatest athletes – Michael Phelps and Yao Ming – for our Sports and Cities plenary, where we will be discussing the multiple benefits that participating in sports can bring, not just in terms of health and wellbeing but in forging bonds within and between communities.
Earlier on Wednesday, I will also meet with the representatives of more than 50 global foundations, hailing from all parts of the world – including the US, the Mainland, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong – at the Foundation Circle at Happy Valley Racecourse. The occasion provides an opportunity for Hong Kong and overseas foundations to discuss funding objectives, share experiences, and also identify possible areas for collaboration. By doing so, we hope this can inspire corporations of different backgrounds to be more proactively involved in the community.
I’m much looking forward to meet all of these guests and I hope they will have a wonderful time during their stay next week.
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