The Hong Kong, China Tennis Association said on Thursday that future editions of the Hong Kong Tennis Open could be staged at Hong Kong Stadium if the centre court at Victoria Park undergoes redevelopment.

In his Policy Address delivered a day earlier, Chief Executive John Lee announced that the administration will explore redeveloping the court into an "iconic all-weather, multi-purpose venue" capable of hosting large-scale sporting events and performances.

The venue currently seats around 3,600 spectators and annually hosts ATP 250 and WTA 250 tournaments, the entry tier of the main professional tennis tours.

Speaking to RTHK, Michael Cheng, president of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association, highlighted the need to upgrade infrastructure if the city hopes to attract more prestigious ATP or WTA 500-level events.

“There needs to be five show courts and the centre court requires a minimum of 7,500 seats. We need to sort of strike a balance as to what makes sense for Hong Kong,” he said.

Cheng said Hong Kong will not stop hosting tour events during the redevelopment.

“It's important as part of the strategy to build a new stadium, you also have a transition plan, an implementation plan that caters for having events in Hong Kong on a continuing basis and not to disrupt what we've built over time,” he said.

“We're actively looking at different transition strategies, but yes Hong Kong Stadium is one of the options.”

The DAB also welcomed the redevelopment proposal, saying that a modernised venue would help draw higher-tier tennis tournaments to Hong Kong while making space for emerging racket sports and other ball games.

The party expressed hope that the government will arrange a smooth transition so the city can continue hosting top-tier tennis events and related sports activities while work is underway.


Edited by Aaron Tam