Topic: Kai Tak Sports Park and the production of new cultural spaces.

Introduction and background of Kai Tak Sports Park and the brief reveal of the relevant concepts

This essay aims to discuss the production of sports space history, behavior, and Sociocultural awareness using the Kai Tak Sports Park as a case study.

The Production of Urban Space is developed by Henri Lefebvre. (Lefebvre, n.d.) It has three types of dimension of Space are the Spatial practices, Representation of space and Representational space. Lefebvre argued that every society and hence every mod of production is its own space. Space is not pre-existing, and unchanging continuing people will keep filling in and move around. It means that sport space needs to be build and the space need fulfill the social consciousness.

Detailed analysis of text

In this part is aims to analyze the text and find out how the government perform the

recreation and sports space in Hong Kong. The analysis will be focused on official media and how the government promote different sports. The government thinks that building a sports ground is an Investment project. The government tries to produce different type of sports space, they want to have something to pay off for the investment, according to the Spatial practices which to the daily routine, the government promotes the “sports for all-day” since 2009. It is because the Hong Kong Football team won the East Asia Games football gold medal. The sports development has been once again attracting public attention. Since then, the government has tried to replan the sports space according to the Representation of space, which means the maps, plans, models. Government building different sports center and stadium, for example, the Hong Kong Velodrome in 2013, (Department L. a., n.d.) Jockey Club Kitchree Centre 2015 (Centre, n.d.) and the latest project is the Kai Tak Sports Park which groundbreaking since April 2019 estimated completion date will be around 2023, The Kai Tak Sport is the biggest sports infrastructure construction in Hong Kong. The sports park will have the biggest capacity stadium in Hong Kong around 50000 sits. The government has made a website promotion video and the social media posts in the brand Hong Kong and the Home Affairs Department to promote the Kai Tak Sports Park. The government has made two language videos with the content to promote Kai Tak Sports. (hkhab, 2017)The video show how the Sports Park can fulfill the three dimensions. The video let people what they can do in different areas of Kai Tak Sports Park, for example eating, doing exercise watching major sport event, which refers to the spatial practices, which is daily routine and live experience. The promotion video show that how the areas and space are plan with 3D animation and 3D maps which is the representation of space. The video also shows imagination and myth of government by inviting some profession athletes share how Kai Tak Sports Park are important for the sports development.  There is also some other promotion channel for Kai Tak Sports Park. For example, the official website (Park, n.d.) which have all the latest information about Kai Tak sports Park, The Home Affairs Bureau Hong Kong website have all the information in text and document format. (Bureau, n.d.)  The Facebook of Home Affairs Bureau Hong Kong (Department, 2017)create a post in 2017 with the picture and text to explain to information about the Kai Tak Sports Park, it is easy to understand for everyone. The In the next section, let discussing the contextual of the production of sport and the consumption, based on three dimensions of space, what is the real value of sports space from a government perspective.

 Contextualization in understanding the production and consumption of the text

According to the promotion of Kai Tak Sports Park, the government has fantasy and imagination on sports space development, which the government would like to create an image to the world and try to achieve three main objectives. by building the Kai Tak Sports Park and other sports space with advice sports facilities. The first objective is to universal sports in the society, the second objective is to support elite sports, the last objective is to develop Hong Kong into a prime destination for hosting major international sports events.

The Spatial Practices mean what the public in the sports space according to promote video of the Kai Tak Sports Park and other official materials, people can watch major sports space events in Kai Tak Sports Park and others sports venue, people also register the time slot in different sports venue to do exercise or keep fit the public can also enjoy different entertainment in the sports venue, for example, watching concert eating meal in the restaurant near the sports venue, etc.……  

The objective of the government in the representation space of Kai Tak Park and other sports venues. The Kai Tak Sports Park has Plan out different areas for different usage, the main stadium which has a retractable roof to allow the hosting of major international sports and cultural events to be held under all weather conditions and to contain possible noise nuisance from events such as large-scale concerts.

The Kai Tak Sports Park has Sports Centers which can hold different competitions, for example, basketball tennis, table tennis. The public sports grounds provide 5，000 sit for the audience it provides a conform to the international standards football pitch and

stadium track. which can hold the school sports day and Hong Kong Premier League.

The Kai Take Sports Park also has a food court, fitness, and health center, etc.…. Different areas for different usage. The convenience level of public transport is another selling point, it can attract local and people from all over the world to enjoy sports event, because the location of Kai Tak Sports Park near Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi Station, there two public transport interchange in the Kai Tak area. The People can do different things different areas base on their needs

The Hong Kong Stadium which is the current largest stadium in Hong Kong which holds the international football match, Hong Kong Premier League, (Ltd, n.d.)and the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Rebury Sevens.  (Pacific/HSBC, 2020)

Hong Kong Coliseum, which mainly uses for volley matches, for example, the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix (1993-2017) replaced by FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League since 2018.

 For representational space, in the government perspective the government wants to set up the good image to the world and try to let the sport space catch up to international standards. Achieve the three objectives set by the government, promote sport for all, support elite sports athlete, developing Hong Kong into a prime destination for hosting international sports events. The government would like to Enhance international image by hosting international sporting events and competitions. The government aim at increasing the ranking and the performance of Hong Kong sports team, show the world that Hong Kong sport can catch up with the world sport. The government hosting international sporting events and competitions to increase the economic profit because according to the website and promotion video of the Kai Tak Sports Park show that it is one of the most important investments in Hong Kong, the estimated expenditure reaches up to three hundred billion Hong Kong dollar (體路, 2019) , as a result, Hong Kong government want to pay off for the investment they put for the support in sports. The Hong Kong Sports atmosphere by creating more sports space and facilities for public and athletes to use, promote the concept of “Sports for all” (Department L. a., Sport For All Day 2018, n.d.)

In the next part will discuss social discourses and the cultural implication of sports space in Hong Kong.  

Social discourses and critical cultural implication

For the discourse and critical implication in the government perspective, base on the three dimensions of space Spatial practices, Representation of space and Representational space. This part will talk about the logic and culture implication of the government. Since Hong Kong held the east Asian game in 2009 and win the golden medal in the men’s football final which make the government have investing money and resource to football development with the Project Phoenix (Council, 2014) started in 2011 with three years plan each years with twenty million to support the development of Hong Kong football, for example established new football league and established minimum wage for the professional footballer, and building more football stadiums etc……

The government established the sport 2009 “for all day” (Department L. a., Sport For All Day 2018, n.d.) to promote the public to do exercise for 30 minutes every day. Every sport for all day the government allows the public to register the sports venue for free. according to the representation space which the government has planned to build more Sports venues to support the sport development in Hong Kong. according to the chief executive policy address in the 2017 (Region, 2017)show that the chief executive has decided to significantly increase the provision of sports facilities, and will spend a total of $20 billion in the coming five years (2018-2023) to launch 26 projects to develop new or improve existing sports and recreation facilities increase to the total of 54 project, (Information Services Department, 2017) government will spend around two millions for sports develop. The government thinks that Hong Kong athletes have excelled performance in major international sports events, for example Lee Wai Sze, Sarah, who won the bronze medal in the London Olympic games for Hong Kong. Therefore, the government increases investment to build new sports facilities and recreate sports ground, the Kai Tak Sports is the most important sports Infrastructure construction in recent years. According to the representational space, the myth or the image in government that the sport space should be more considered in order to create economic benefit for Hong Kong and improve the sports development image show the ability of hosting major sports events or competition in Hong Kong. Hong Kong would like to achieve the three main objectives in sport development which can get the payoff for the investment and changing the world image show the ability of Hong Kong Sports. The government wants Hong Kong sport to achieve three objectives first, being universal to all citizens in Hong Kong, secondly sports become elite in Hong Kong which means increase the amount of research to help athletes to have better venues and sports centers for professional training. Lastly is to develop Hong Kong into a prime destination for hosting international sports events. This objective set up by the government which wants to Create a good image also attracts people from all over the world to join sports events together and try to earn profit by hosting major sports in Hong Kong. The Kai Tak Sport is the important investment in sports    

Conclusion 

In conclusion, based on three objectives that the government aims to achieve by building the Kai Tak Sport Park the government aims at improving the international image by hosting different of international major sports event in the Kai Tak Sports Park and every sport facility in Kai Tak fulfill the international standard, the Kai Tak Sports Park provide advanced facilities and sport venue try to give a home court atmosphere for athletes it can help the athlete to improve the performance. The public can watch major sports events in Tak Sports Park they may spend money for eating and buying souvenirs after the sports event. The Kai Tak Sport will become a tourist spot in Hong Kong. Hong Kong government can attract people from all over to see major sport events in Hong Kong, improving the international image of Hong Kong. 

 

References

Bureau, H. A. (n.d.). Home Affairs Bureau – Policy Responsibilities – Recreation, Sport and Kai Tak Sports Park – Kai Tak Sports Park. Retrieved from Home Affairs Bureau : https://www.hab.gov.hk/tc/policy_responsibilities/Kai_Tak_Sports_Park/ktsp.htm

Centre, J. C. (n.d.). https://www.kitchee.com/index.php?page=jockyclub. Retrieved from https://www.kitchee.com: https://www.kitchee.com/index.php?page=jockyclub

Council, L. (2014, 2 12). LCQ13: Project Phoenix. Retrieved from http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201402/12/P201402120253.htm

Department, H. A. (2017, 5 26). Facebook. Retrieved from Facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/HomeAffairsBureau/photos/%E6%AF%8F%E6%97%A5%E7%9D%87%E7%9C%9Fd%E5%95%9F%E5%BE%B7%E9%AB%94%E8%82%B2%E5%9C%92%E6%9C%89%E5%92%A9%E8%A8%AD%E6%96%BD%E4%BB%8A%E6%97%A5%E7%B9%BC%E7%BA%8C%E5%90%8C%E5%A4%A7%E5%AE%B6%E7%9D%87%E7%9C%9Fd%E5%9

Department, L. a. (n.d.). Sport For All Day 2018. Retrieved from https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en: https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/sfad/2018/

Department, L. a. (n.d.). Sports Centres. Retrieved from https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/clpss/en/: https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/clpss/en/webApp/Facility/Details.do?fid=1229&did=8

hkhab. (2017, 6 1). 啟德體育園(6分鐘)(粵語) – YouTube. From YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMKEs0q5dsE&t=116s&ab_channel=hkhab

Information Services Department, H. (2017, 1 18). 增建體育設施支持運動員 (18.1.2017) – YouTube. From YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuBNWhJibGQ&ab_channel=%E6%94%BF%E5%BA%9C%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E8%99%95InformationServicesDepartment%2CHKSARG

Lefebvre, H. (n.d.). The Production of Space by Henri Lefebvre. Retrieved from https://myweb.fsu.edu/: https://myweb.fsu.edu/jjm09f/1%20Final%20Project%20Materials/lefebvreintro.html

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