Queen Elizabeth Stadium

The Queen Elizabeth Stadium, no.18 Oi Kwan Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
The arena in the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Wanchai, HK
The occupation of the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Wanchai, HK
The names of the donors and the historic background of the stadium are carved in stone.
The names of the donors and the historic background of the stadium are carved in stone.

The Queen Elizabeth Stadium is an indoor sport facility on the Morrison Hill in Wan Chai, on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. First opened in 1980, it has a 3,500-seat arena, gymnasia, squash and badminton courts, and a multi-purpose hall. It was built by the Urban Council, and is now managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government.

It is usually in Cantonese language referred as Sun Yi Kun (新伊館, lit. New Queen Elizabeth Stadium) because there are some indoor playgrounds in Queen Elizabeth II Youth Centre (伊利沙伯青年館, also known as Macpherson Stadium) in Mongkok.

History

Queen Elizabeth II made her first visit to Hong Kong, then a British colony, in May 1975.[1] This Royal Visit became the namesake of the stadium. The construction was funded by various means including donation from local philanthropists like Sir Shiu-Kin Tang, CBE, KstJ, JP, and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The foundation stone was laid by the Acting Governor Sir Denys Roberts on 21 December 1977.[2] The stadium was opened by the Governor Sir Murray MacLehose on 27 August 1980.[3] Since then the stadium has become one of the major venues for cultural and sports activities in Hong Kong.

Japanese pop singer Kenji Sawada, widely popular across Asia at the time, was one of the very first artists to use the stadium as a concert venue (December 1980, just four months after its opening), followed by Taiwanese pop singer Teresa Teng in 1982. Many successful home-grown artists and pop stars also held concerts at the venue including George Lam, Michael Kwan, Danny Chan, Alan Tam, Samuel Hui and Beyond (band) (See 1970s and 1980s in Hong Kong). However, the stadium's status as the top concert venue in Hong Kong, or even Asia, was gradually eclipsed by the larger stadium Hong Kong Coliseum.

The stadium is also one of the major venues during the 2009 East Asian Games.

References

  1. ↑ "HKFP History: In Pictures – Queen Elizabeth II in Hong Kong". Hong Kong Free Press. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Sporting task for Sir Denys". South China Morning Post. 22 December 1977. p. 11.
  3. ↑ "Sport stadium the 'finest yet'". South China Morning Post. 28 August 1980. p. 11.

Coordinates: 22°16′30″N 114°10′43″E / 22.27500°N 114.17861°E / 22.27500; 114.17861

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