Jockey Club’s Hong Kong Sevens community programmes enable more than 10,000 beneficiaries to enjoy the mega-sports event

The Hong Kong Jockey Club congratulates Hong Kong China Rugby on the success of the 2025 Hong Kong Sevens, which concluded this evening (30 March). Sevens fever has well and truly returned to the city. Club Chairman Michael Lee presented the Women’s Bowl to the National Team, and joined HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee in presenting the Men's Cup to the champion team – Argentina.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee (second row, 6th left), Club Chairman Michael Lee (second row, 2nd left), and guests at the awards presentation ceremony for the Hong Kong Sevens.

This is the fourth consecutive occasion that the Club hassupported the Hong Kong Sevens as Official Community Partner. This year, more than 10,000 beneficiaries of differing ages, abilities and backgrounds have been given opportunities to experience a range of sports including rugby through the Jockey Club Sevens Community Programmes. More than 30,000 people have benefited over the years, facilitating citywide engagement in sports events.

Club Chairman Michael Lee (back row, 6th right) presents the Women’s Bowl to the National Team.

The programmes kicked off in early March with the Jockey Club Multi Sport Shared Learning Experience, enabling students to experience the positive energy that sport can bring. In mid-March, the Jockey Club Elite Athletes Sharing Session cum Sport for All Carnival saw nine elite athletes from rugby, horse racing, football, basketball, cricket, gymnastics, obstacle-course-racing and breakdancing share their experiences with a live audience and online. They discussed the meaning and importance of sport’s capacity for inclusivity and for enabling people to pursue their dreams. The carnival featured seven sports-themed booths, giving primary, secondary school students and general public opportunities to enjoy different sports in a relaxed and fun environment.

Club Chairman Michael Lee and the National Team

The three-day Hong Kong Sevens tournament was held for the first time at Kai Tak Sports Park. At the event, Jockey Club Sevens Community Programmes added colour to the excitement of the rugby matches. The programmes included the Jockey Club Mini Rugby Showcase, allowing young local rugby players to showcase their skills in the main stadium and experience involvement in a mega-sports event. In addition, the Jockey Club Sevens School Tour and the Jockey Club Sevens Community Experience enabled students and underprivileged groups including the elderly and people with disabilities to experience a world-class tournament. Members of the Club’s CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team also accompanied wheelchair users to the event and onsite and provided facepainting services. The CARE Band comprising of CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members performed at the Fan Village, creating a fun atmosphere. 

Club Chairman Michael Lee (back row, 8th right), Club Steward Andrew Weir (back row, 7th left), Club Steward Philip Lo (back row, 6th left) and wheelchair-bound beneficiaries of the Jockey Club Sevens Community Programmes at the Jockey Club booth.

Club Chairman Michael Lee (right) and beneficiaries of the Jockey Club Sevens Community Programmes visit the Jockey Club booth.

Club Chairman Michael Lee (left) receives thanks from beneficiaries of the Jockey Club Sevens Community Programmes.

Members of the Club’s CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team paint a mural for Club Chairman Michael Lee (right).

Members of the Club’s CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team accompany wheelchair users at the tournament.

Members of the Club’s CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team accompany wheelchair users at the tournament.

Volunteers from JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER lead a Jockey Club Sevens School Tour at Kai Tak Sports Park to raise awareness of the benefits of sports including rugby.

The CARE Band, comprising CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members, perform at the Fan Village.

Club Steward Anita Fung (back row, centre) and Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (left) visit the Jockey Club booth.

The Jockey Club Sevens Community Programmes held the Jockey Club Elite Athletes Sharing Session cum Sport for All Carnival in mid-March, bringing together different sectors of society.

The Jockey Club Sevens Community Programmes held the Jockey Club Elite Athletes Sharing Session cum Sport for All Carnival in mid-March, bringing together different sectors of society.

Participants of the JC Junior Sports Reporters Programme conduct an on-site interview with Club Jockey Karis Teetan (2nd left) at the Hong Kong Sevens.

Exclusively sponsored by the Institute of Philanthropy (“IoP”), organised by the Palace Museum in Beijing, and in partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago, the “Rejoicing in Woods and Springs: A Journey through Garden Cultures in China and the Wider World”exhibition was launched yesterday (31 March) at the Tower Gallery, East and West Wing Galleries of the Meridian Gate in the Forbidden City. It will showcase rare artifacts and cultural treasures from across Asia, the United States and France. The exhibition will run until 29 June in Beijing, with subsequent plans to tour Suzhou, followed by Ningbo and Hong Kong through to July next year.

Chairman of the Institute of Philanthropy and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Lester Huang tours the “Rejoicing in Woods and Springs: A Journey through Garden Cultures in China and the Wider World” exhibition.

This exhibition is an important part of a five-year collaboration under a Memorandum of Co operation entitled “Promotion of Chinese Culture and Arts Tech Talent Development in the Mainland and Hong Kong” signed between The Hong Kong Jockey Club (“the Club”) and the Palace Museum. It aims to foster cultural exchange between the Mainland and Hong Kong and to nurture aspiring arts tech talent. The exhibition aligns with the Palace Museum’s 100th anniversary and is also one of a series of activities under the Club’s “With you. Then. Now. Always.” campaign to celebrate its 140th anniversary.

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition yesterday, officiating guests included Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum; Lester Huang, IoP Chairman and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust; James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director of the Art Institute of Chicago; and Elisabeth Maisonnier, Chief Curator of Heritage at the National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon.

(From left to right) Wen Dayan, Director-General of Communication and Cooperation of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (1st left); Li Rusheng, President of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture (2nd left); Lester Huang, Chairman of the Institute of Philanthropy and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (3rd left); Gu Yucai, President of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics (4th left); Dr Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum (5th left); James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director of the Art Institute of Chicago (4th right); Liu Shuguang, President of ICOM China (3rd right); Elisabeth Maisonnier, Chief Curator of The Palaces of Versailles (2nd right); Du Haijiang, Deputy Director of the Palace Museum (1st right) officiate at the opening ceremony of the “Rejoicing in Woods and Springs: A Journey through Garden Cultures in China and the Wider World” exhibition. (Photo credit: The Palace Museum)

Director of the Palace Museum Dr Wang said the Palace Museum has systematically explored multi-faceted models to bridge cultural exchanges in innovative ways to foster dialogues between China’s rich culture with other international traditions, ever since the introduction of the Global Civilisation Initiative. This exhibition is envisioned not only to promote the sustainable development of cultural heritage but also to inspire and promote the construction of a global community of the shared future.

IoP Chairman and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Mr Huang noted this touring exhibition is exclusively sponsored by IoP and is a key activity under the five-year collaboration between the Club and the Palace Museum to promote Chinese culture and enhance international exchange through the integration of arts and technology. “It is a meaningful way to celebrate both the Club’s 140th anniversary and the Palace Museum’s 100th anniversary. It incorporates interactive digital technology to present fascinating garden cultures in China. I very much look forward to the exhibition being held in Hong Kong next year to broaden people’s understanding of national history and culture, supporting efforts to develop Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.”

Chairman of the Institute of Philanthropy and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Lester Huang delivers a speech at the opening ceremony .

The exhibition features more than 200 Chinese and international exhibits, with support from four overseas cultural institutions – the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Yale Center for British Art in the United States; and the Palace of Versailles, Museums and National Gardens Public Institution in France. The National Museum of China and Tianjin Museum also contributed exhibits.

Taking six activities (gatherings with friends; appreciation of art collections; sightseeing; meditation; flower appreciation; and playing music) that took place in the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City, the exhibition aims to explore the impact that human activities have on garden landscapes from different geographical regions and historical periods, and to contrast traditional Chinese and Western gardening philosophies.

Chairman of the Institute of Philanthropy and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Lester Huang tours the “Rejoicing in Woods and Springs: A Journey through Garden Cultures in China and the Wider World” exhibition.

In addition to physical exhibits, the exhibition will also feature digital content, allowing audiences worldwide to access and appreciate these horticultural treasures online soon after the exhibition has opened.

The touring exhibition will be staged at the Palace Museum until 29 June, after which it plans to tour Suzhou Museum and Ningbo Museum before stopping at the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 2026.

IoP, a charitable organisation established by the Club and its Charities Trust, donated approximately HK$440 million (RMB￥371 million) to the “Promotion of Chinese Culture and Arts Tech Talent Development in the Mainland and Hong Kong” initiative to promote Chinese culture and values in Hong Kong, the Mainland and worldwide. It supports the Central Government’s vision of developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan.