Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium will officially open on March 1, the government has revealed, as the venue hosted about 50,000 people as part of a stress test on Tuesday night.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui announced the date as officials reviewed the trial run, which included the stadium’s retractable roof being open for the first time during a football match and noise-level tests at nearby residential estates.
“After the many drills we have conducted, we are satisfied with the outcome. We have also made a number of improvements and adjustments,” she said after the test.
“To this day, we are highly confident that the stadium is able to operate smoothly and will officially open on March 1. We will announce the details of the opening later.”
The test run at the stadium, the main venue in Kai Tak Sports Park, included an under-22 league football match between Kitchee and North district, along with fire drills and re-enactments of emergencies.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said 80 per cent out of 48,000 spectators were able to disperse within 15 minutes, while 2,000 people stayed behind to take part in a fire drill.
“All spectators were able to disperse within 40 minutes. This is worth looking into to see what we can improve,” he said.
