Festival-goers cheer for sportsmanship at Jockey Cluba£á?s Riding High Together Festival

03/26/2016

With the theme of “Let’s Cheer for Sportsmanship”, the Jockey Club’s Riding High Together Festival, held over the first two days of the Easter holidays, attracted about 26,000 visitors to Sha Tin Racecourse and Penfold Park to enjoy a wide array of “edutainment” activities – including the setting of a Guinness World Records record by over 1,000 students for producing the world’s longest paper chain of cheering messages in one hour by a team. In another highlight of the day, the Club has announced an HK$18 million donation to support the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme.

Students set new world record

The world record-breaking attempt, “Riding High Together for a World Record – The Longest Paper Chain of Cheering Messages”, was accomplished by over 1,000 primary and secondary students. They were cheered on by Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip; Olympic windsurfing gold medallist Lee Lai-shan; Paralympic wheelchair fencing gold medallist Benny Cheung Wai-leung; Headmistress of the Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School Amy Chan, a bronze medallist in the badminton mixed doubles exhibition event at the 1988 Olympics; Manchester United legend Park Ji-Sung and the Club’s Executive Director, Corporate Business Planning and Communications Scarlette Leung.

Dr Ip outlined the objectives of this year’s Riding High Together Festival, explaining that “with this year being an Olympic year, the festival is themed ‘Let’s Cheer for Sportsmanship’. Sports are an integral part of our daily lives. They help cultivate positive values, build character and discipline, and boost mental and physical health,”   He added that the world record-breaking attempt was also aimed at cheering for Hong Kong and its athletes on this special occasion.

After an hour’s hard work, the students successfully completed a 3,745.38-metre-long paper chain of cheering messages, conveying their blessings and encouraging words to Hong Kong and its athletes.  After verification, Guinness World Records adjudicator Joanne Brent confirmed they had set a new record for the world’s longest paper chain of cheering messages in one hour by a team. She then presented a certificate to the cheering students. The Club has created a special edition of the paper chain of cheering messages for representatives of the Hong Kong Sports Institute in commemoration of the event and to pay tribute to local athletes.

Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme launched

Also at the Riding High Together Festival today, Dr  Ip announced the donation of more than HK$18 million to the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) to support the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme (AIAS) over the next three years. He was joined at the launch ceremony by HKSI Chairman Carlson Tong; President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Timothy Fok; and President of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled Jenny Fung.

Dr Ip explained that the Club’s support for the AIAS reflects its comprehensive support for the HKSI and elite athletes, and its broader commitment to promoting "Sports for All" - one of three areas of strategic focus for the Club’s community contributions over the next few years.  With regard to the Club’s support for the Hong Kong Sports Institute, Dr Ip said: “In 1992 the Club provided an endowment of HK$200 million to set up a trust fund, now known as the HKJC Elite Athletes Fund under which Athlete High Performance Programmes and Athlete Career-Path Programmes are being offered to support top athletes training at the HKSI.  Indeed, over the last decade the Club has contributed over HK$1.6 billion to support both hardware and software sports development in Hong Kong. In 2013, the Club contributed HK$100 million to the HKSI to redevelop its former athletes’ hostel into the Jockey Club Sports Building for elite athletes and coaches.  This year, the Club further funded a HK$9.7 million Coach Education Programme at the HKSI.  All of this support will enable athletes and coaches to concentrate on their sporting careers.”

The Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme aims to support the all-round development of local athletes by providing cash incentives to recognise those who earn glory for Hong Kong by winning gold, silver or bronze medals in top-class international competitions. The scheme covers six major competitions including the Olympics and Paralympics. Cash rewards will also go to athletes finishing between fourth and eighth in the Olympics and Paralympics, with a souvenir award to be presented to the entire team of athletes as recognition of their achievement. 

Complementing the AIAS will be a public education campaign. The Trust will arrange supplementary activities, including talks and experience-sharing sessions to help promote positive values in society.  This will further support the long-term career development of elite athletes and help them broaden their social network.

Let’s cheer for sportsmanship

This year’s Festival was the second community festival staged by the Club during the Easter holidays.  With 2016 being an Olympic year, the two-day Festival was themed “Let’s Cheer for Sportsmanship” to promote the values of sportsmanship and featured over 70 “edutainment” activities for people of all ages to enjoy a day out with their families.

Manchester United legend Park Ji-Sung was invited to meet visitors and young football fans. Park, who became a father in late 2015, gave a talk entitled “How to be a successful football parent”, explaining to parents how to help young people achieve their potential and realise their dreams.

In collaboration with world-renowned Manchester United, the Club also organised a football tournament for young people. Based on their performance, 50 outstanding participants will be invited to attend a short training course, with the four best participants being sent to United’s training base in Manchester, UK this summer for an exchange visit to pursue further their football dreams. 

Another highlight was the Hong Kong debut of the large-scale art installation “Dancing Water Drops” by renowned cross-media artist Simon Ma. This followed its previous display in cities such as Venice, Milan, Beijing and Shanghai. The installation features artistic renderings of water drops, each with a colour at its centre and designed to convey a sense of joy, to promote love and care for nature, and to encourage a spirit of sportsmanship.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.