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On a wet weekend in August, Hongkongers took advantage of venues opening their doors for free across the city to promote the development of sport in the community.
At Hong Kong Cricket Club (HKCC), Maryam Bibi, vice-captain of the city’s women’s team, introduced the sport to children.
In her early years, Bibi was familiar with the sport, but did not know Hong Kong had a women’s game. She eventually “found out through school, so promoting cricket in local schools is very important”.
Bibi was among several current and former Hong Kong players who took part in the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)’s two-day Sport For All Day, with the HKCC event attracting 92 youngsters for the four-hour programme.
Her route from discovering the game to playing internationally is one officials are hoping more children will follow, with promoting sport in the community a part of the government’s five-year plan for 2026-2030.
The plan outlines that preliminary and forward-looking policy directions aim to “promote sports in the community, support elite sports, maintain Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhance professionalism in sports and develop sports as an industry”.