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Lars Hamer

The Hong Kong Jockey Club will pump HK$3 billion (US$384.6 million) into sport in the city over the next three years, with HK$70.75 million earmarked for a programme aimed at developing local basketball.
Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said on Saturday that his organisation wanted “to do even more for sports” and so was doubling the amount it had already provided.
A new Jockey Club Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme, funded through its Charities Trust, aims to make the sport more accessible for children, young adults and the underprivileged, and is expected to benefit more than 32,000 people, including over 660 coaches, according to officials.
The programme will consist of three projects, co-run by the InspiringHK Sports Foundation, the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong (BGCA) and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG).
“If you look at the club, they have always dedicated significant resources to sports and sports development,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said during an event at the Tai Kwun cultural centre. “So we plan, in a way, in the next three years, to spend HK$3 billion on sports and sports development.”

The InspiringHK Dream Factory project will take charge of 3x3 basketball, aiming to introduce the sport to kindergarten and primary school pupils.
“Adopting a progressive, step-by-step approach, a school-based 3x3 basketball training scheme will be designed by professionals, including sports coaches and sports psychologists, to enable primary students to build a strong foundation for their growth,” a spokesman said.
Training courses to enhance the skills of coaches and university students studying sports-related subjects will support the school-based scheme.
Under the BGCA Care scheme, a youth development league will also be launched, combining training and competitions alongside career and life planning.
The HKFYG Hustle 5 project will team up with the East Asia Super League (EASL), a regional competition involving professional teams from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Mongolia, Macau and Hong Kong, to lead regular district basketball training sessions.
EASL will also invite 20 “outstanding” students to showcase their development alongside players from Macau and the Philippines, while there will also be basketball-themed challenge days, carnivals and school tours.
“The programme ... in addition to physical training, is actually a comprehensive growth platform,” Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said.
“Through a professional team of coaches, social workers and sports psychologists, tailor-made training for students of all ages and levels and their personal growth plans, including opportunities to study abroad, will allow the youth to get involved in basketball, establish a healthy lifestyle and cultivate a positive and enterprising attitude.”
Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the vice-president of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, said the club’s increased investment and the new basketball programme showed the city’s support for sports development.
“We have 80 [national sports associations] and we are all very eager to be a positive partner with the Jockey Club and with the government to improve sports,” Fok said.
“It’s not just about our results overseas … we are also leaning very heavily on the Jockey Club to improve the corporate governance of all sports in Hong Kong.”
The game-changing development follows the decision by city lawmakers on Thursday to legalise betting on the game.
According to information provided by the Jockey Club to the Legislative Council, about 430,000 residents bet illegally on basketball in 2024, compared with 100,000 to 150,000 the previous year.
On Thursday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said that providing legal channels was “a way to satisfy the public demand for certain kinds of betting and prevent them from turning to illegal operators”.
According to a previous estimate by the club, authorised basketball betting could generate HK$1.5 billion in tax revenue annually, though a source told the Post it may take three to four years to reach that level.


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Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (left) and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Jockey Club CEO, take part in a basketball demonstration during the announcement at Tai Kwun. Photo: Karma Lo

Officials launched the Jockey Club Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme during an event at Tai Kwun. Photo: Karma Lo

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Sport

Basketball

A new Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme aimed at the city’s children, young adults and underprivileged will receive HK$70.75 million


A new Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme aimed at the city’s children, young adults and underprivileged will receive HK$70.75 million.


East Asia Super League

Alice Mak Mei-kuen

Hong Kong Jockey Club pledges HK$3 billion investment in city sports over next 3 years

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A new Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme aimed at the city’s children, young adults and underprivileged will receive HK$70.75 million

A new Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme aimed at the city’s children, young adults and underprivileged will receive HK$70.75 million