Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said Hong Kong aims to host more fencing events in future, after the men's foil team secured a historic silver at the Fencing World Championships being held here.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme on Wednesday, Law spoke highly of the resilience and determination of the Hong Kong, China team.

She also said public support was overwhelming, with more than 3,000 spectators on hand for the nail-biting final against Italy. The top-seeded Italians won 45-44.

The minister revealed plans to bring more fencing events to the SAR.

"We will fight for it in the future. After the National Games, for example, fencing – since everyone loves watching fencing so much – we pushed to host the World Championships here, and we hope to hold more Asian and national-level events in Hong Kong."

This marks the first time the SAR has hosted the Fencing World Championships, and Law said the International Fencing Federation was thoroughly impressed with the venue, its supporting facilities and the vibrant tournament atmosphere.

Looking ahead, the government is considering plans to build a dedicated 1,000-seat fencing facility in the Northern Metropolis.

While the proposed venue would be suitable for local and regional competitions, Law noted that building a facility specifically designed for large-scale events like the World Championships might not be economically viable.

"The fencing venue we'll have in the Northern Metropolis can indeed host many regional or major Hong Kong events, as well as some international competitions," she said.

"But when it comes to the World Championships – which involve 1,000 athletes – these are events we might hold once every few years, or at most once a year. If we were to build a dedicated venue just for that, it probably wouldn't make economic sense."


Edited by Edmond Fong