Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park to host 10,000 during first trial of main stadium

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park will host its first test event at its main stadium on Sunday with an expected turnout of 10,000 people, allowing venue staff to assess their crowd dispersal capabilities using taxis, buses and MTR services.

Authorities also said on Friday they would test an internal communication platform for mobilising taxis during the event, but special bus arrangements were excluded from the drill as the scale of the event did not require such services.

The 50,000-capacity stadium, set to open in the first quarter this year, will host the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China’s rugby sevens tournament finals, featuring 17 teams from different institutions.

Sunday’s event is considered a test run for the Hong Kong Sevens scheduled to be held in March.

A temporary taxi pickup and drop-off area will be set up on Sung Wong Toi Road – a six to seven minutes walk to the main stadium – during the trial match, said Eric Wan Pak-yan, the Transport Department’s principal transport officer.

According to Wan, the Kai Tak Sports Park will test a communication platform, developed with the help of the department, allowing for real-time updates to taxi operators regarding demand at the temporary cab stand.