The former CEO of the cricket governing body laments the missed potential of Kai Tak, as it lacks a cricket ground.
Rewritten Article:
Heads up, sports fans!
It looks like Hong Kong missed a golden opportunity to become a cricket powerhouse, all because of a slip-up in stadium planning. Tim Cutler, a former Cricket Hong Kong CEO, has accused officials of blowing it when plans for a prime cricket ground at Kai Tak were scrapped.
Cutler, now CEO of Vanuatu Cricket Association, recalls pushing hard for a multi-purpose stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) to be adapted for cricket during his tenure. Unfortunately, an athletics track and versatile arena suited for football, rugby, and other sports were installed instead.
He laments that it's puzzling when you consider that the grounds at KTSP are sized perfectly for top-notch cricket—around 150 meters in diameter, a dream for the sport. Cutler admitted he couldn't fathom visiting the smaller venue during March's Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium.
So where did things go wrong? Well, the Kai Tak Sports Park is a mega-venue offering a main stadium with a retractable roof and an indoor sports center with 10,000 seats. Instead of focusing on cricket, the developers seemed more interested in catering to a broader range of sports like rugby sevens, handball, fencing, and bowling.
Cutler points to Rwanda's gleaming Gahanga Cricket Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 10,000 and opened in 2017. This stadium has already hosted more T20Is than any other African venue. Talk about a missed opportunity for Hong Kong!
In short, it seems that the decision not to build a cricket ground at KTSP may have robbed Hong Kong of the potential to host major international cricket events. Maybe next time, they'll give cricket the attention it deserves!
- The stadium planning oversight in Hong Kong could have transformed the region into a cricket powerhouse, as pointed out by Tim Cutler, the current CEO of Vanuatu Cricket Association, who served as the CEO of Cricket Hong Kong.
- Interestingly, the grounds at Kai Tak Sports Park are ideally suited for high-quality cricket with a diameter of approximately 150 meters, making it a desirable location for the sport.
- Regrettably, Kai Tak Sports Park prioritized a versatile arena for football, rugby, and other sports over cricket, even though a multi-purpose stadium tailored for cricket was proposed during Cutler's tenure.
