Top 5 Sporting Events in Hong Kong
When you’re going to Hong Kong you might not immediately think of it as a sporting hub. You couldn’t be further from the truth. Sport is massive in Hong Kong away from the business world and the Kong plays host to a load of world famous sporting events year after year. They are all well attended and popular and I’ve picked out my personal top 5 sporting events in Hong Kong from a hat trick of years living and breathing this cool country.
1. Golf – Hong Kong Open
The Hong Kong Open is an annual golf tournament in November held out at Fanling. It attracts golfing superstars from all over the world. In the past few years Spaniard Jimenez and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy have won the tournament.
2. Football – National Team
Hong Kong have their own national football team of course and they compete in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and Asian Cup. Probably their biggest moment was beating China 2-1 in the 1980s. They play home matches in Mong Kok and Hong Kong Island. They have a website translated into English too.
3. Rugby – Hong Kong Rugby Sevens
The famous Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is one of the best small team rugby tournaments in the world and it always sells out. It runs for a weekend in May every year at Hong Kong Stadium. It features rugby teams from all over the world and is a crazy weekend where locals and foreigners mingle, party, watch rugby and dress up. It’s a lot of fun!
4. Horse Racing – Happy Valley
Those who like a flutter will love the fact that Hong Kong boasts not just one but two massive horse racing venues. Most people head to the popular Happy Valley racecourse on Hong Kong Island. But I also love the one at Sha Tin in the new territories as it attracts less foreigners and is more local.
5. Hiking – Hong Kong Nature Trails
I simply love the amount of hiking options in Hong Kong. There are epic nature trails everywhere, including at Lam Tin, Tai O, Yi O and the famous Dragon’s Back hike on HK Island.
These are just a quick fire top 5 – there is lots more to do in Hong Kong sports and entertainment wise and I will hopefully write about them in a future post.