The first test event at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park involving around 1,000 spectators was “very satisfactory,” the city’s second highest ranking official has said.

Participants who attended a local football match held at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on Sunday had a “very good experience,” Chief Secretary Eric Chan told the press after the trial event at the new multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue built on the site of Hong Kong’s former airport.

The youth sports ground was only around one-fifth full during Sunday’s event, for which tickets were not sold publicly, local media reported. Instead, tickets were distributed by the Hong Kong Football Association, district councils and three government-appointed committees.

According to local media, a sign was displayed at the entrance warning spectators not to bring any weapons, illegal substances, laser pens or pointers, drones, glass, metal containers, o bottles and cans into the premises. They were also warned not to carry any items that were deemed “harmful, disruptive, offensive” or that may hinder the operation of the venue, as well as items banned under Hong Kong law.

Chan said the sports park deployed close to 300 staff members to assist spectators, while more than 300 signs were put up to lead the crowd from nearby MTR stations and bus stops to the venue. It took the first batch of attendees six to seven minutes to exit the venue, and just a few more minutes to reach Sung Wong Toi Station, he added. According to Google Maps, it is a 14-minute walk from the sports park to Sung Wong Toi Station.

“I understand that crowd management, exit order, in-house announcements, directional signage, and traffic arrangements have all been very satisfactory,” Chan said in Cantonese.

Construction of the 28-hectare sports park began in 2019 and its major facilities are expected to be completed by the end of this year. The park consists of three main venues: the Kai Tak Stadium which can host up to 50,000 spectators, the indoor Kai Tai Arena with a seating capacity of up to 10,000, and the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground with 5,000 seats.

Last month, Hong Kong China Rugby confirmed that the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 will be held at the Kai Tak Sports Park next March. British rock band Coldplay will also be playing three shows at the stadium, with tickets to its three shows selling out earlier this month.

Earlier this month, the government faced questions in the legislature concerning transportation infrastructure around the sports park and whether it could accommodate the high number of spectators during major events.

Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun-sun told lawmakers that if there were issues with Kai Tak Station, which is around 1.2 kilometres away, the crowds could be “directed further” to Diamond Hill Station, which is 2.7 km away. According to Google Maps, it takes around 38 minutes to reach Diamond Hill from the park by foot.

Lawmaker Kitson Yang criticised the measure as “very not ideal,” adding that it was not a route that “normal people would take.” He said there were better options for evacuation, such as by walking to To Kwa Wan station to transfer to other modes of transportations.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung confirmed on Sunday that the first trial event for the main stadium would take place in January, and would involve around 10,000 spectators.

Chan was asked if that was “too late” for a first test run given that the Sevens would be held in March. The chief secretary said the government would run 20 trial events starting “from the small scale” and the number of people involved would eventually be increased to 50,000.

“We are confident that with all these arrangements and all these preparations, before we formally and officially open the stadium, we will have sufficiently tested everything before it is officially opened. And I have full confidence in that,” Chan remarked.

Chan added that the next test event on November 16 was designed to test ticket sales. Around 3,000 spectators were expected to be involved, he said.

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