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Editorial
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June 2000 Issue the bulletin This does not mean we should give up before we have tried. The Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan, who heads the games bid committee, has led an SAR successful delegation to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to demonstrate to the Olympic Council of Asia Hong Kong ??s commitment to a "world class" Asian Games in 2006. Now is the time for the local business sector and the broader community to get behind Hong Kong??s bidHong Kong ??s bid to hold the Asian Games in 2006 should be more than a matter of dollars and cents. Cities around the world who enter the highly competitive bidding for the Olympics, Asian games or other major international sporting events do not merely do so because they want to make a direct profit from the events themselves. All believe that such a favourable bottom line would be nice, but it is not the ultimate aim.The cities who bid for these global sporting events ?V and it is rare there is not competitive bidding ?V realise there are a host of other advantages as well, some of them tangible, others much less so. They include bonuses for business in the form of increased visitors to the city concerned and a boost to spending in the local economy. But they also include intangibles such as projecting the city??s image onto the world stage in a new (sporting) light, and improving its global visibility, image and publicity.Domestically, too, hosting such events can help improve the local sports and general infrastructure of the successful city, not merely for immediate usage, but for many years into the future. Often, too, the city or nation acting as host gains in terms of its own sports development and in the encouragement of its young people to take up sports and train harder to win Games ?? glory.This is not to suggest that the SAR should throw money at the games bid ?V and ultimately the games themselves - and not consider the costs. The whole bid process and the games project itself will have to carefully budgeted and closely monitored to retain community support. The Hong Kong SAR Government has been highly transparent in this process, presenting for public discussion both a consultants report on likely costs and revenues and the Government Economist??s assessment of the broader economic benefits.In any case, we are not talking about a lot of money, either in the context of the whole economy or the Government ??s budget. Think for a moment that expected costs of the games of some $1.92 billion is less than 0.2 per cent of the SAR??s total annual output (GDP) and 0.8 per cent of the Government??s overall public spending in the 1999-2000 fiscal year.Think, too, that the first land auction of the new, 2000-2001 fiscal year brought in $1.9 billion in what was generally regarded as a poor response ?V the exact amount it is anticipated it would cost to stage the games. Finally, consider that the whole amount for the games will be spent not in one year, but in the five years leading up to the opening day. This is not beyond Hong Kong??s means.Now that the decision has been taken for the SAR to attempt to become the host the 15th Asian Games and the bid process has begun, there has been a clear increase in public support for Hong Kong ??s bid. Business, too, has taken a positive approach and will no doubt be called on to do more if the games?? bid is ultimately successful. We should be willing to do so.A successful bid to host the games would be positive for Hong Kong, enhance its international status, boost its image in the eyes of the sports world, improve its sports infrastructure and encourage its young people to take up sporting activities. Let ??s try to make the next year of the dog in the Chinese calendar a special one in Hong Kong??s modern history by gaining the 15th Asian Games for the SAR. We should all support the games?? bid. |
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