Badminton

Badminton is a favorite national pastime in Hong Kong, played by young and old alike. Free outdoor public courts are provided in the urban areas and the New Territories, and indoor courts (located in sports centers) are available for hire by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Court locations are listed on the Leisure and Cultural Services Department website; booking in advance via the LCSD Leisure Link is necessary for indoor courts.

The Hong Kong Badminton Association was founded in 1934 and organizes training and competitions in Hong Kong. Since 1982, it has regularly hosted the Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships, part of the HSBC BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Tour Super 500 series, which continues to attract some of the world’s top-ranked players.

Baseball

Over many years, baseball slowly found its way onto Hong Kong’s team sport scene. In 1992, the Hong Kong Baseball Association was founded to promote the game of baseball in Hong Kong and to provide a facility for local enthusiasts. The Association is a member of the International Baseball Federation and the Baseball Federation of Asia, and its administration and activities are subvented by the Hong Kong SAR Government.

Children aged 5 to 14 can participate in Hong Kong Little League, a nonprofit organization.

Basketball

You will be surprised by the level of interest in basketball in Hong Kong. Although nowhere near as high-profile as the NBA teams, local teams have improved a lot over the years, and more and more people now follow the games regularly.

Bowling

Bowling is a hugely popular indoor sport among families and young people in Hong Kong. In addition to some private clubs which offer bowling facilities, there are a number of bowling centers in the city. These include:

• Dragon Bowling Center, locations in Ho Man Tin, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan and Mei Lok
• SCAA Bowling Centre, Causeway Bay (HK$200 yearly membership fee required)
• Thunder Bowl, Hung Hom
• Tikitiki Bowling, Sai Kung

The Hong Kong Tenpin Bowling Congress was established in 1968 to promote the development of tenpin bowling activities in the city. It holds the Hong Kong International Open Bowling Championships annually.

Cricket

The first records of cricket being played in Hong Kong date back to 1841. Even after the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, cricket still holds a major place in Hong Kong sports. Today, cricket is professionally administered by the Hong Kong Cricket Association and subsidized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Although cricket has traditionally been a game dominated by expatriates and the extensive South Asian communities resident here, there has been an influx of local players in recent years thanks to its rising popularity, and the emergence of shorter, faster versions of the sport.

The Hong Kong Cricket Association is the governing body of cricket in Hong Kong. Their website has more information about tournaments and where to play.

Equestrian

Horse racing in Hong Kong commenced in 1841 with the arrival of the British, and today it is the single most popular spectator sport in Hong Kong. Though geographically small and crowded, Hong Kong has a number of equestrian facilities in both private and public sectors.

The Hong Kong Equestrian Federation (HKEF) is dedicated to promoting equestrian sports in Hong Kong. It is the official body representing equestrian sports in Hong Kong at national and international levels. Every year, the HKEF hosts a series of international competitions including the Longines Masters showjumping competition, the FEI Dressage World Challenge, and the FEI Jumping Children’s Classics Final.

The HKEF cooperates closely with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and consolidates all matters related to equestrian sports. The HKEF organizes Hong Kong’s participation in the equestrian events at the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games and the Asian Games.

Horse Racing

The Hong Kong Jockey Club was founded in 1884 and changed from an amateur to a professional organization in 1971. Through its subsidiaries, the Jockey Club is the only authorized operator of horse racing in Hong Kong. Today, the thrilling thunder of hooves and the deafening roar of spectators can be heard in Hong Kong’s two high-tech racetracks, one in Happy Valley and the other in Sha Tin. Happy Valley races are generally run on Wednesdays, with races in Sha Tin happening on weekends and holidays.

One of the biggest events on the racing calendar is the Longines Hong Kong International Races in December, which draws trainers and owners from around the globe.

Football (Soccer)

Football (soccer) is one of the most popular sports in Hong Kong, with a long history here. The Hong Kong Premier League, founded in 2014, is the highest division in Hong Kong. Local fans also pay close attention to the Premier League and EFL Championship divisions in the UK, as well as matches played in Europe.

The Hong Kong Football Association, founded in 1914, promotes local participation in the sport. Professional, youth and amateur football matches provide quality competition to encourage the sport in Hong Kong.

Children under the age of 14 can participate in the Hong Kong Junior Football League.

Golf

Golf was introduced to Hong Kong just over 100 years ago. Up to the end of the Second World War, it was mainly the preserve of expatriates, and even after the war, only members belonging to one of Hong Kong’s exclusive and expensive private golf clubs could play. Consequently, the game remained largely inaccessible to the middle classes until the late 1990s, when the government opened the Kau Sai Chau golf course in Sai Kung — the first and only public golf course in Hong Kong — to promote the game of golf within the territory. This initiative, in addition to the opening of several driving ranges across the city, has contributed to a growth in the golfing community over the last twenty years or so. Today, more than 80 percent of golfers in Hong Kong are of local Chinese ethnicity.

Martial Arts

Throughout its history, Hong Kong has produced some of the greatest martial artists the world has ever seen, such as the legendary Bruce Lee and Hollywood Kung Fu star, Jackie Chan. However, kung fu’s popularity has declined in the city in recent decades and fewer young people now take up Chinese martial arts.

Most traditional schools cater mainly for the local population, so expats without knowledge of Cantonese may find it difficult to find suitable training schools. When English-speaking classes are available, they can often take months to fill up to the minimum number required, so be prepared to wait a while. 

Two places that do offer regular English-language lessons in Chinese martial arts are:

• IWKA
• Mindful Wing Chun

If you’re after a less rigorous training experience, the South China Athletic Association in Causeway Bay offers courses in various martial arts including Shaolin kung fu, taekwondo, judo, karate and qi kung. Muay Thai and Western-style boxing are also popular among locals and expats in Hong Kong (see Specialty Studios and Boutique Gyms).

Multi-Sport Tournaments

Every two years, the Hong Kong Sports Commission organizes the Hong Kong Games. Athletes representing the 18 districts in Hong Kong compete in athletics, badminton, basketball, futsal (a ball sport, similar to football, played indoors on a hard court), swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball. As there is no minimum age for participation, the tournament is popular with up-and-coming junior athletes. Members of the community can participate in events like a fun run. The next games are scheduled for 2022.

The LCSD also organizes two biennial sporting competitions in Hong Kong: the Corporate Games and the Masters Games. The Corporate Games are open to teams from private and public sector organizations, with contests in athletics, badminton, basketball, distance running, snooker, table tennis, tennis, tenpin bowling, volleyball, 7-a-side mini-soccer and 11-a-side soccer. Participants in the Masters Games must be over 35 years old and can join events like distance running, badminton, and table tennis.

Rock Climbing and Bouldering

Due to the mountainous landscape of Hong Kong, the territory is also a popular place for rock climbing and abseiling. There are natural rock faces to suit all skill levels for both aided and unaided climbing. In addition to outdoor rock climbing, there are many gyms with climbing walls, including the YMCA in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Hong Kong Climbing has a list of indoor climbing walls, information about popular routes, and tips for local climbers.

Rugby

Rugby has been played in Hong Kong for as long as horses have been racing in Happy Valley. Early newspapers at the Hong Kong Public Records Office have accounts of rugby games played during the late 1870s and 1880s. Before World War I, the players were mainly army and navy men, together with the police and merchant cadets from the large trading houses. After World War II, local competition flourished, leading to the establishment of the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) in 1952.

The HKRU aims to raise awareness of rugby, while promoting, supporting and encouraging participation in the sport in Hong Kong and Asia. Besides managing and organizing the Hong Kong Sevens competition (see below), it also provides the facilities, support networks and training for those aspiring to represent Hong Kong in rugby, or for those who just have a general interest in the sport.

A number of clubs in Hong Kong cater to beginners and experienced players. These include: USRC Tigers, Gai Wu, SCAA First Pacific Causeway Bay, and Typhoons. The touch and tag variants of rugby have also gained considerable followings in Hong Kong since the early aughts. For more information, check out those sports’ governing bodies:

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