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Opinion
Monolingual National Games ticketing system is a bad look for Hong Kong
If Hong Kong is serious about drawing international crowds, National Games ticketing should be friendly to non-Chinese speakers
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Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA.
The last time I checked, Hong Kong still considered itself a world city, one where East meets West and international talent gathers. We have been told ad infinitum that the city is a “superconnector”, while Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also calls Hong Kong a “super value-adder”.
But it seems those in charge of National Games coordination didn’t get the memo. National Games tickets went on sale last Thursday morning, but soon hit a snag: the online ticketing system did not provide an English-language interface, meaning that many among our international talent struggled to buy tickets for matches that will be held right here in the city.
Welcome to Asia’s World City, indeed. While bilingual slogans proclaim “Play for the Dreams in GBA” and “Dream for the Games in GBA”, some of us can only dream of easily getting tickets to the National Games.
The government has attached great importance to Hong Kong’s co-hosting of the National Games – the country’s highest-level sporting event – for the first time. As part of the Games, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy Rugby Sevens Competition will take place at Kai Tak Stadium in November.
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