To further promote sports for all and foster social cohesion, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has approved a donation of over HK$134 million through its Charities Trust to support the five-year Jockey Club Hoops Connect Community Basketball Programme. The programme also seeks to align with the 15th Five-Year Plan’s strategy to accelerate China’s development into a leading sporting nation as well as the Healthy China development strategy. The initiative will enable more young people to learn and practice basketball for whole-person development and character building, while strengthening community outreach for structured basketball training. To mark the official launch of the programme, a kick-off ceremony was held alongside the Philanthropy for Better Cities (PBC) Forum 2026 on 7 September.
Officiating guests at the ceremony included Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR Government; Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Andreas Zagklis, Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation; Dr Axel Schweitzer, President and Owner of ALBA Berlin Basketball (ALBA); Yao Ming, Founder and Chairman of the YAO Foundation; Billie Lau, Executive Director of The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong (BGCA); Hsu Siu-man, Executive Director of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG); Dr Wan Lap-man, Executive Director of Hong Kong Playground Association (HKPA); and Johnny Wong, General Secretary of Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong (YMCA).
Speaking at the ceremony, Rosanna Law noted that sport is not only about enhancing athletic performance. It also serves as an important foundation for physical and mental well-being, playing a vital role in fostering social cohesion and spreading positive values. She added that the HKSAR Government will continue to invest resources in promoting the holistic development of sports in Hong Kong. Noting that the Club has long been an important partner of the Government in advancing sports development, she expressed confidence that the programme will help expand access to high-quality basketball training in the community, enabling more young people to benefit.
Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said the Club believes deeply in the power of sport to change lives. As one of Hong Kong's most popular team sports, basketball is an ideal way to engage young people while imparting valuable life lessons. With this vision in mind, the Club is working to strengthen sector-wide capacity and build a sustainable basketball ecosystem in Hong Kong through a three-pronged strategy of upgrading facilities, delivering high-quality community programmes and nurturing capable coaches. Through the new initiative, the Club hopes to support the holistic, all-round development of the city’s young people, helping them develop not only their skills, but also their confidence and character.
The five-year programme comprises district-wide youth training jointly delivered by BGCA, HKFYG and HKPA, as well as coach training organised by YMCA. The youth training will be conducted across all 18 Hong Kong districts, offering annual nine-month basketball programmes for young people aged six to 16, particularly those who may lack equitable access to structured training opportunities due to financial or social barriers. Leveraging the Club’s partnership with the YAO Foundation, and drawing on experiences from ALBA, the programme references international best practices in developing “whole-person basketball training”.
In addition to training and competition, participants will also have the opportunity to take part in learning activities and have opportunities to join exchange trips to the Chinese Mainland and overseas. To maintain high-quality training and expand the pipeline of coaching talent for this and other future basketball programmes, YMCA is collaborating with ALBA to develop a tailored coach training course targeting tertiary students in sports-related disciplines. Upon successful completion of the training, graduates will receive dual accreditation, a YMCA local certificate and overseas recognition through ALBA.
The programme is expected to benefit more than 4,600 young participants, enhancing their basketball skills, physical fitness, psychosocial well-being and personal growth, while also training some 450 coaches to deliver quality community basketball programmes. In addition, the programme's public engagement activities are projected to attract around 50,000 attendances.
As a world-class sports and entertainment organisation with a strong commitment to the nation and to Hong Kong, the Club actively supports national and local sports development at both community and elite levels. These efforts reflect the Club’s purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of society. To further strengthen its support for sports development, the Club announced last year a commitment of HK$3 billion over the following three years.
The Club’s support for the Jockey Club Hoops Connect Community Basketball Programme, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) is a world-class horse sports and entertainment organisation that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique value creation model, through which the Club generates sustainable economic and social value for the benefit of the community and supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2025/26, the Club returned a total of HK$39.3 billion to the community. This included HK$30.7 billion to the HKSAR Government in taxes and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$8.6 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.
