The Hong Kong Jockey Club (“the Club”) today (16 July) made a formal submission to the HKSAR Government during the public consultation period on The First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) (“Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan”). Drawing on the Club’s expertise in equine sports, tourism, talent development, philanthropy and social innovation, the submission is organised under three themes - Equine Sports and Industry Hub; Sports Economy; and Social Betterment - to support economic growth, regional integration, people-to-people exchanges and social progress.
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club said that the Club, as a world-class horse sports organisation with a strong commitment to the country and Hong Kong, strongly welcomes the HKSAR Government’s initiative to formulate Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan under the framework of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. The Club sees this as a significant opportunity to strengthen Hong Kong’s integration into and support for overall national development while leveraging Hong Kong’s unique strengths to align with national needs and contribute to the country’s high-quality development.
Theme 1 – Equine Sports and Industry Hub
1) Establish the GBA as a leading international equine hub
- Fully leveraging the Club’s Conghua Racecourse (“CRC”) as a strategic platform for deeper Guangzhou-Hong Kong cooperation, CRC, together with Hong Kong’s two racecourses at Happy Valley and Sha Tin, will support the introduction of world-class racing and equine events across the GBA and position the GBA as a global equine industry hub.
- Propose expanding Hong Kong’s successful experience in equine biosecurity and disease-free zone management to other regions in the Chinese Mainland, such as Xinjiang, thereby enabling Hong Kong to utilise its expertise to play a key role in facilitating the country’s international exchanges with Belt & Road countries by way of horse sports and horse culture.
- Support the establishment of a World Organisation for Animal Health (“WOAH”) collaboration centre in Hong Kong to reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a regional centre for veterinary public health.
2) Advance institutional innovation and soft connectivity
- Recommend building on successful precedents arising from the Guangzhou Asian Games, Hangzhou Asian Games and National Games. Examples include recognition of Hong Kong- and overseas-registered veterinarians, streamlined arrangements for veterinary medicines, and enhanced regulatory cooperation.
- Enable institutional innovations and soft connectivity, such as expanding mutual recognition of vocational qualifications between Hong Kong and Guangdong; supporting apprenticeship pathways and talent mobility in the GBA; developing the Conghua International Racing Development Centre as an international equine import-export and quarantine hub.
3) Promote equine culture, tourism and talent development
- Recent data demonstrate the attractiveness of Hong Kong’s racing tourism. Tourist attendance at the Club’s racecourses increased substantially, and the future development of Conghua will further strengthen the "Two Cities, Three Racecourses" proposition.
- Recommend developing a multi-destination racing tourism offering linking Sha Tin, Happy Valley and Conghua, creating a distinctive racing tourism circuit for both Chinese Mainland and international visitors.
- Recommend strengthening promotion through government overseas and Chinese Mainland networks; enhancing cooperation with regions that have strong equine traditions such as Xinjiang; and supporting veterinary education and training initiatives in the GBA.
- Drawing on Hong Kong’s rapid advancement in veterinary education, Hong Kong is well positioned to play a more active role in supporting the upskilling of veterinarians in the Mainland. The Club has been collaborating with the City University of Hong Kong to explore the establishment of a veterinary clinical training centre in Shenzhen and Dongguan Campus to complement veterinary education with practical clinical training.
Theme 2 – Sports Economy
Theme 3 – Social Betterment
- To further develop and integrate Hong Kong’s burgeoning philanthropic sector as a catalytic turnkey for critical infrastructure projects such as in the Northern Metropolis University Town;
- Expanding the concept of "Finance+" to incorporate social impact investment and creating a robust ecosystem that channels capital into social outcomes;
- Establishing a dedicated impact capital coordination mechanism to strengthen policy alignment and unlock new funding sources for social development; and
- Promoting greater alignment of standards, rules and operating mechanisms within the GBA, including pilot cooperation through Nansha and support for Hong Kong NGOs operating across the boundary.
Submission by the Institute of Philanthropy (“IoP”)
1) Position Hong Kong as a philanthropic knowledge and convening hub, bringing together philanthropic sector stakeholders to exchange and advance best practices and to strengthen sector capabilities across Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and Asia.
2) Establish a joint taskforce with national counterparts to advance social impact measurement frameworks and standards.
3) Support the establishment of formal philanthropic exchange programmes with national counterparts, to exchange best practices in the governance and operation of philanthropic programmes.
4) Explore and support the development of new business models and financing solutions that create economic and social value in a sustainable way, generating innovative solutions to social issues.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class sports and entertainment organisation that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2024/25, the Club returned a total of HK$39.1 billion to the community. This included HK$30.1 billion to the HKSAR Government in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$9.0 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is one of the world’s leading charity donors.
