The brand new Kai Tak Sports Park will help Hong Kong soar to new heights, the chief executive told the crowd during the opening ceremony on Saturday night.

Speaking in Cantonese, Putonghua and English, John Lee also underlined his vision for the city’s newest landmark, built on the site vacated by the old airport.

“From the first successful trial flight 100 years ago to the establishment of an airport, today we have created Kai Tak Sports Park … a brand new stage for sports, culture and arts facing the world,” he said.

The CE added that the park will be the perfect venue to kick off “Hong Kong Super March,” outlining a list of mega-events scheduled for the city.

“Like this very stadium's retractable roof, the sky is the limit. From snooker, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens to football, the upcoming sports events are sure to delight all - on and off the pitch,” he declared.

Lee was then joined onstage by political and business leaders for the launching ceremony. They included the director of the central government's liaison office, Zheng Yanxiong, as well as Henry Cheng, chairman of New World Development, which built the park.

The crowd of 33,000 or so were treated to a Chinese drum performance and lion dance before the speech.

The media were allowed to stream roughly the first half an hour of the show, until 7 pm.

The rest of the ceremony – including performances by singers Joey Yung, and demonstrations by national athletes – was kept under wraps until 9.30 pm, when four free-to-air TV channels will broadcast the event in full.