Hong Kong's top sports officials have "hit out strongly at the government for looking to move the proposed sports hub at Kai Tak to Sunny Bay on Lantau Island," according to Alvin Sallay of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST. The officials believe the move would be "going back on the promise to provide the city with a world-class sporting and recreational centre." Major Sports Events committee Deputy Chair & Sports Commission member Terry Smith said, "It will be an absolute disaster and would seriously undermine government plans to foster sport and develop Hong Kong into the events capital of Asia." Hong Kong Rugby Football Union Chair Trevor Gregory said, "It will be a big mistake if they decide to press ahead and move the sports hub from Kai Tak to Lantau. It's not only the sports community which will be affected by this move, because this was supposed to be a recreation and tourism hub, too." A shortage of public housing has "led to suggestions in certain government quarters that the land allocated at Kai Tak for the sports hub be used to build flats." Home Affairs Bureau senior official Jonathan McKinley said, however, that the plan to build at Kai Tak "was still on the cards." McKinley: "Our aim is to have the Kai Tak sports complex fully completed by 2019-20" (SCMP, 10/23).
