“M” Mark status awarded to four events

The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee:

     November will be an exhilarating month for major sports events. The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded "M" Mark status to the following major sports events that will be held in November, namely the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships 2018, which is part of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 (November 13 to 18); the Everbright Sun Hung Kai Hong Kong Squash Open 2018 (November 19 to 25); the Honma Hong Kong Open 2018 (November 22 to 25) and the 2018 CGSE·Million Tinkle World Men Championships (November 23 to December 5).

     The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr Karl Kwok, said today (November 8) that these events, like all "M" Mark events, will add colour and vibrancy to Hong Kong and help attract more visitors.

      "'M' Mark events showcase Hong Kong's capability to host world-class events and reinforce its position as the events capital of Asia," Mr Kwok said.

      "'M' Mark events also help generate economic benefits for Hong Kong by attracting tourists. They also instil a sustainable sporting culture in the community, and help foster a sense of pride and social cohesion," he added.

     The "M" Mark System was launched in 2004 to help local national sports associations organise more major sports events and nurture them into sustainable undertakings. Sports events meeting the assessment criteria will be granted "M" Mark status by the MSEC. Funding support will also be provided to some of the event organisers.

     The number of recognised "M" Mark events increased from four in 2005 to 12 in 2018. So far, around $124.3 million has been approved to support recognised "M" Mark events.

     For details of other "M" Mark events, please visit www.mevents.org.hk. The "M" Mark applications for smartphone users are available for downloading from iTunes as well as Google Play.